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PLEA FOR RELIGION 

AND THE 

SACRED WRITINGS, 

ADDRESSED TO 
AND 

WAVERING CHRISTIANS OF EVERY PERSUASION. 

WITH 

AN APPENDIX, 

CONTAINING 

The Author's Determination to have relinquished his Charge 
in the Estahlished Church, and the Reasons on which 
that Determination was founded. 



BY THE LATE 

REV. DAVID SIMPSON, M.A. 

MINISTER OF CHRIST CHURCH, MACCLESFIELD. 



He that bclievcth shall be sailed; but he that bclievethnot 
shall be damned — Jesus Christ. 



LONDON : 

PUBLISHED BY THE BOOKSELLERS. 

WILLIAM MILKER, HALIFAX. 



1838. 



W. MILIEU, miSTTEE, IIALIPAX. 



PREFACE, 



It hath been said by the late excellent Bishop Home, 
that " in times when erroneous and noxious tenets 
are diffused, all men should embrace some opportunity 
to bear their testimony against them." That it will 
be allowed by every dispassionate observer, if erro- 
neous and noxious tenets were ever diffused among 
men in any age, they are eminently so in the present. 
I am so far, however, from considering this in the light 
of a misfortune to the general cause of truth, that I 
am persuaded purposes of the most important nature 
are to be answered by it, in the course of Divine Pro- 
vidence. But, notwithstanding this persuasion, I 
have thought it my duty, in the following pages, to 
bear a decided testimony against some of the most 
pernicious of those errors which prevail among us, and 
to stand forward as an advocate in behalf of religion 
in genera], and the Sacred Writings in particular. 
"If the foundation be destroyed, what can the 
righteous do?" 

One might suppose, prior to experience, Infidelity 
was a thing of so gloomy and uncomfortable a nature, 
that no man of the least decency of character could 
be found, who would embark in the desperate scheme. 
But when we consider the many awful things recorded 
in the Bible against persons of a certain description, 
the numerous passages apparently liable to very 
serious objections, the natural darkness of the human 



Vi PREFACE. 

understanding, the perverseness of the human will, 
and the imperious calls of contending passions, we 
need not be surprised, that a large proportion of irre- i 
ligious characters, who have little to hope from di- 
vine mercy, and much to fear from divine justice, 
should be induced to embark in any scheme, that is 
calculated to afford them present indulgence, and free 
them from apprehensions of future danger. Thomas 
Paine's deistical principles may buoy up the minds of | 
persons of this character, while health and prosperity 
smile upon them, but they will always fail us in sea- 
sons of adversity, and especially in the views of ap- 
proaching dissolution.* Give me a religion that v/ill 
standby me at all seasons, in prosperity and adversity, 
in sickness and health, in time and eternity. I would 
not give a rush for a religion which will only serve 
my turn when the sunshine of worldly favour illu- 
mines my steps, and fail me when I stand in the 
greatest need of its supports. This is the case with 
Deism, as many have found to their extreme sorrow, 
when the eternal world drew near and dawned upon 
their astonished sight. More than one of the unhappy 
mutineers, who have lately been executed on board his 
Majesty's ships of war, found themselves in this awful 
predicament as their fate approached. Corrupted by 
Paine's " Age of Reason," when they conceived 
themselves free from danger, they gloried in their 
shame ; but when the King of Terrors came to stare 
them in the face, they saw their folly, repented, be- 1 
lieved, and trembled in the views of the eternal world. 
Different, indeed, was the conduct of many others of 
these unhappy men, some of whom were, apparently 
at least, equally regardless of life or of death. So we 

* "You have been used," said good Mr. Matthew Henry, 
a little before his death, to a friend, " to take notice of the 
sayings of dying men. This is mine, that a life spent in ; 
the service of God, and communion with him, is the most 
comfortable and pleasant life that any one can live in this 
world." 



PREFACE. vil 

read of great multitudes of our fellow creatures, both 
I in our own and in a neighbouring country, who, set 
free from the salutary restraints of religion, and the 
! government of the Divine Being, by a daring and 
uncontrolled spirit of Infidelity, destroy themselves, 
and rush into the presence of the Almighty without 
dismay.* More reasonable and becoming surely is 
the conduct of those who, when brought to a sense of 
their sin and folly, fear and tremble before the dread 
Sovereign. This "seems to have been the case with the 
late Lord P. This nobleman, after he turned Deist, 
took every opportunity to show his contempt of reli- 
gion. The clergyman and parishioners of the place 
where his Lordship's seat in Northamptonshire 
stood, usually passed in sight of the house in their 
way to church. At the time of going and returning, 
he frequently ordered his children and servants into 
the hall for the purpose of laughing at and ridiculing 
them. He pursued this course for some time, but at 
length drew near the close of life. Upon his dying 
pillow his views were altered. He found that, how- 
ever his former sentiments might suit him in health, 
they could not support him in the hour of dissolution; 
when in the cold arms of death, the terrors of the 

* The general practice of duelling, among the higher or- 
ders of society in this country, is a sure indication, that a 
spirit of Infidelity is alarmingly gone abroad. A Chrstian 
fight a duel ! Impossible ! True valour forbids it. And, to 
mend the matter, upon the Lord's day, too ! Still more im- 
possible ! Every principle of his religion prohibits the im- 
pious deed. How much pain of mind did not the conduct 
of a certain most respectable character give, to all the seri- 
ous part of the nation, on a late unhappy occasion of this 
sort? Religion, good morals, sound policy, true patriotism, 
all forbad the unchristian rencounter. Stake Ids life against 

the life of a ! Were we to act thus in common life, a 

state of confinement would be thought essentially necessary 
for our welfare and the public good. Can nothing be done, 
no measure be taken, to put a stop to this infamous practice, 
tbis national opprobrium? Let those whom it concerns 
consider. 



viii 



PREFACE, 



Almighty were heavy upon him. Painful remem- 
brance, brought to view ten thousand insults offered to 
that God, at whose bar he was shortly to stand ; and 
conscience being strongly impressed with the solem- 
nity of that day, he but too justly feared the God he 
had insulted would then consign him to destruction. - 
With his mind thus agitated, he called to a person in 1 
the room, and desired him "to go into the library 
and fetch the cursed book," meaning that which f 
made him a Deist. He went, but returned, saying 
he could not find it. The nobleman then cried with 
vehemence, that "he must go again, and look till he - 
did find it, for he could not die till it was destroyed.*' 
The person having at last met with it. gave it into 1 
his hands. It was no sooner committed to him than ; 
he tore it to pieces, with mingled horror and revenge, ' 
and committed it to the flames. Having thus taken I 
vengeance on the instrument of his own ruin, he soon 
after breathed his soul into the hands of his Creator.* - 

Affecting as is this example, that of a William Pope, 
of Bolton, in Lancashire, is much more so. At this 
place there is a considerable number of deistical per- 
sons, who assemble together on Sundays to confirm "; 
each other in their infidelity. The oaths and impre- ' 
cations that are uttered in that meeting are too 
horrible to relate, while they toss the Word of God 
upon the floor, kick it round the house, and tread it 
under their feet. This William Pope, who had been 
a steady methodist for some years, became at length 
a profound Deist, and joined himself to this hellish 
crew, After he had been an associate of this com- 
pany some time, he was takon ill, and the nature of 
his complaint was such, that he confessed the hand 
of God was upon him, and he declared he longed to ' 
die, that he might go to hell, many times praying 
earnestly for damnation. Two of the Methodist E 

* Seethe Evangelical Magazine for June, 1797, where it > 
is declared this anecdote may be depended upon, as it came i 
from the lips of a person who was present at the scene. 



PREFACE. 



ix 



preachers, Messrs. Rhodes and Burrowclough, were 
sent for to talk and pray with the unhappy man. 
But he was so far from being thankful for their ad- 
vice and assistance, that he spit in their faces, threw 
at them whatever he could lay his hands upon, struck 
one of them upon the head with all his might, and 
often cried out, when they were praying, " Lord, do 
not hear their prayers !" If they said, " Lord save 
his soul!" he cried, "Lord, damn my soul !" often 
adding, " My damnation is sealed, and I long to be 
in hell !" In this way he continued, sometimes better 
and sometimes worse, till he died. He was frequently 
visited by his deistical brethren during his illness, 
who would fain have persuaded the public he was out 
of his senses, which was by no means the case. The 
writer of this account saw the unhappy man once, 
but never desired to see him acrain. Mr. Rhodes 
justly said, " He was as full of the devil as he could 
hold." This melancholy business happened in the 
course of the present year, and made a great noise in 
the town and neighbourhood of Bolton.* 

These are shocking instances of the dreadful effects 
of infidelity upon the minds of our fellow creatures, 
in those seasons when we stand in most need of sup- 
port and consolation. If living witnesses for the troth 
and importance of Religion and the Sacred Writings! 

* Mr. Rhodes has since published an account of the sick- 
ness and death of the unhappy man in the Methodist Maga- 
zine for August, 1798, which is one of the most affecting on 
record. 

t It becomes every objector to the Sacred Writings to re- 
flect, that "the moral and natural evils in the world were 
not. introduced by the Gospel ; why then must the Gospel 
be called upon to account for them, rather than, any other 
religion or sect of philosophy? If there never had been an 
Old Testament, never a New one, mankind would have been 
at least as corrupt and miserable as they are at present. 
What harm, then, have the Old arid New Testament done to 
you, that you perpetually challenge them to account to you 
for the evil you suffer? You dislike, perhaps, the story of 
Adam and Eve, and can by no means digest the account of 



X 



PREFACE. 



might have any consideration with such of my read- 
ers as are deistically inclined, I could produce many 
of the first characters of this age, from among all the 
contending denominations of Christians. The late:'; 
Jacob Bryant, Esq., who is unquestionably one of the : 
deepest inquirers into the original of things, and koii 
priest, hath not only written a treatise professedly 
to prove the authenticity of the Ts T ew Testament, but 
hath also, in another of his learned investigations, 
made the following declarations in favour of these 
incomparable and invaluable writings : — 

" This investigation," (a work written to prove that 
Troy never existed) " I more readily undertook, as it 
affords an excellent contrast with the Sacred Writings. 
The more we search into the very ancient records of i 
Rome or Greece, the greater darkness and uncer- 
tainty ensue. None of them can stand the test of 
close examination. Upon a minute inspection, all 
becomes dark and doubtful, and often inconsistent; 
but when we encounter the Sacred Volume, even in 
parts of far higher antiquity, the deeper we go, the 
greater treasure we find. The various parts are so 
consistent, that they afford mutual illustration : and 
the more earnestly we look, the greater light accrues, . 
and consequently the greater satisfaction. So it has 
always appeared to me, who have looked diligently, 
and examined; and I trust J have not been mistaken."* 

the serpent's tempting, and prevailing against our first pa- B 
rents : very well ; let this account be laid aside, and what 
are you now the better ? Is there not the same evil remain- 
ing in the world, whether you believe or disbelieve the story I 
of the Fall ? And if so, what account do you pretend to give 
of it? For if you pretend to any religion, (you are as liable 
to be called to this account as any professor or teacher of 
the Gospel. Xobody is exempt in this case but the Atheist, 
and his privilege comes from hence, that he has no account 
to give of any thing, for all difficulties are alike upon his 
scheme." — Sherlock on " Prophecy," p. 233. 

* " When I was in camp with the Duke of Marlborough," 
says this truly learned and respectable man, in another 



PREFACE. 



xi 



Various similar testimonies have been adduced in 
the course of the following little work. Mr. Erskine's 
name is there mentioned with honour. But as he has 
since come forward in a manner more direct and full 
mn behalf of Religion and the Sacred Writings, I can- 
jnot do the religious reader a greater pleasure, or 
; render the deistical one a more importamt service, 
1 than by presenting him in this place with the sub- 

|! place, " an officer of my acquaintance desired me, upon my 
Jj making a short excursion, to take him with me in my car- 
I riage. Our conversation was rather desultory, as is usual 
j upon such occasions ; and among other things he asked me, 
rather abruptly, what were my notions about religion. I 
answered evasively, or at least indeterminately, as his in- 
quiry seemed to proceed merely from an idle curiosity ; and 
, I did not see that any happy consequence could ensue 
I from an explanation. However, some time afterwards he 
made a visit at my house, and stayed with me a few days. 
During this interval, one evening he put the question to me 
again ; and at the same time added, that he should really 
be obliged if I would give him my thoughts upon the sub- 
| ject. Upon this I turned towards him, and, after a pause, told 
him, that my opinion lay in a small compass, and he should 
have it in as compendious a manner as the subject would 
permit. Religion, I said, is either true or false. This is 
the alternative ; there is no medium. If it be the latter — 
merely an idle system, and 4 a cunningly-devised fable,' let 
us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die. The world is be- 
fore us, let us take all due advantage, and choose what may 
seem best. For we have no prospect of any life to come, 
much less any assurances. But if religion be a truth, it is 
the most serious truth of any with which we can possibly 
be engaged— an article of the greatest importance. It de- 
mands our most diligent inquiry to obtain a knowledge of 
it, and a fixed resolution to abide by it when obtained. 
For religion teaches us, that this life bears no proportion to 
the life to come. You see, then, my good friend, that an 
alternative of the utmost consequence lies before you. 
Make, therefore, your election as you may judge best, and 
Heaven direct you in your determination. He told me that 
he was much affected with the crisis to which I brought the 
object of inquiry ; and I trust that it was attended with 
happy consequences afterwards." 



xii 



PREFACE. 



stance of the Speech which this celebrated orator 
delivered upon the trial of Williams, in the court of 
King's Bench, for publishing Thomas Paine's "Age 
of Reason," on the 24th of June, 1797, before Lord 7 
Kenyon and a Special Jury 

" Gentlemen 1 the defendant stands indicted for! 
ha vino: published this book, which I have only read 
from the obligation of professional duty, and which I L 
rose from the" reading of with astonishment and dis- i : 
gust. For my own part, Gentlemen, I have been ever r It 
deeply devoted to the truths of Christianity, and my 
firm belief in the Holy Gospel is by no means owing • 1 
to the prejudices of education (though I was reli- 
giously educated by the best of parents), but arises { 9 
from the fullest and most continued reflections of my . R 
riper years and understanding. It forms, at this - i 
moment, the greatest consolation of a life, which as 
a shadow must pass away ; and without it, indeed, I I - 
should consider my long course of health and prospe- j ; 
rity (perhaps too long and too uninterrupted to be [ 1 
good for any man) only as the dust which the wind [ t 
scatters, and rather as a snare than a blessing. 

" This publication appears to me to be as mischiev- s y 
ous and cruel in its probable effects, as it is manifestly | 1 
illegal in its principles, because it strikes at the best, j 
sometimes, alas! the only refuge and consolation i 
amidst the distresses and afflictions of the world. The 
poor and humble, whom it affects to pity, may be r 
stabbed to the heart by it. They have more occasion 
for firm hopes beyond the grave, than those who have 
greater comforts to render life delightful. I can con- \ , 
ceive a distressed, but virtuous man, surrounded by \ a 
children, looking up to him for bread when he has | 1 
none to give them, sinking under the last day's labour, 
and unequal to the next, yet still looking up with ! - 
confidence to the hour when all tears shall be wiped I n 
from the eyes of afniction, bearing the burden laid upon 
him by a mysterious Providence which he adores, 
and looking forward with exultation to the revealed 

1 

! 



PREFACE. 



xiii 



I promises of his Creator, when he shall be greater than 
i| the greatest, and happier than the happiest of man- 
; kind. What a change in such a mind might not be 
; wrought by such a' merciless publication?' 

" ' But it seems this is an Age of Reason, and the 
time and the person are at last arrived, that are to 
| dissipate the errors which have overspread the past 
j generations of ignorance. The believers in Christian- 
ij ity are many, but it belongs to the few that are wise 
lj to correct their credulity. Belief is an act of reason, 
" and superior reason may, therefore, dictate to the 
j weak/ 

" In running the mind along the long list of sincere 
and devout Christians, I cannot help lamenting, that 
Newton had not lived to this day, to have had hi3 
shallowness filled up with this new flood of light. 

" But the subject is too awful for irony. I will speak 
plainly and directly. Newton was a Christian! New- 
ton, whose mind burst forth from the fetters cast by 
nature upon our finite conceptions— Newton, whose 
! science was truth, and the foundation of whose 
knowledge of it was philosophy — not those visionary 
and arrogant presumptions, winch too often usurp its 
name, but philosophy resting upon the basis of ma- 
thematics, which, like figures, cannot lie— Newton, 
who carried the line and rule to the utmost barriers 
of creation, and explored the principles by which, no 
doubt, all created matter is held together and exists." 

" e But this extraordinary man, in the mighty reach 
of his mind, overlooked, perhaps, the errors, which a 
minuter investigation of the created things on this 
earth might have taught him, of the essence of his 
Creator.' 

" What then shall be said of the great Mr. Boyle, 
who looked into the organic structure of all matter, 
even to the brute inanimate substances, which the 
foot treads on ? Such a man may be supposed to have 
been equally qualified with Mr. Paine to look up 
through nature to nature's God. Yet the result of all 



xiv 



PREFACE, 



his contemplations was the most confirmed and devout 
belief in all which the other holds in contempt, as 
despicable and drivelling superstition. 

" i But this error might, perhaps, arise from a want 
of due attention to the foundations of human judg-r 
ment, and the structure of that understanding which 1 
God has given us for the investigation of truth/ 

" Let that question be answered by Mr. Locke, who 
was, to the highest pitch of devotion and adoration, 
a Christian : Mr. Locke, whose office was to detect , 
the errors of thinking, by going up to the fountains 1 
of thought, and to direct into the proper track of 
reasoning the devious mind of man, by showing him 
its whole process, from the first perceptions of sense 
to the last conclusions of ratiocination, putting a rein 
besides upon false opinion, by practical rules tor the • 
conduct of human judgment." 

" 6 But these men were only deep thinkers, and 
lived in their closets, unaccustomed to the traffic of 
the world, and to the laws which practically regulate 
mankind.' 

" Gentlemen ! in the place where we now sit to 
administer the justice of this great country, above a 
century ago, the never-to-be-forgotten Sir Matthew 
Hale presided : whose faith in Christianity is an ex- 
alted commentary upon its truth and reason, and 
whose life was a glorions example of its fruits in man, 
administering human j ustice with a wisdom a nd purity 
drawn from the pure fountain of the Christian dis- 
pensation, which has been, and will be, in all ages, a 
subject of the highest reverence and admiration." 

" ' But it is said by the author, that the Christian 
fable is but the tale of the more ancient superstitions 
of the world, and may be easily detected by a proper 
understanding of the mythologies of the Heathens.' 

" Did Milton understand those mythologies ? Was 
he less versed than Mr. Paine in the superstitions of 
the world ? No ! they were the subject of his im- 
mortal song ; and though shut out from all recurrence 



PREFACE. XV 

I to them, he poured them forth from the stores of 
J memory rich with all that man ever knew, and laid 
i them in their order as the illustration of that real and 
|j exalted faith, the unquestionable source of that fervid 
I genius, which cast a sort of shade upon all the other 
j works of man : — 

' He pass'd the bounds of flaming space, 
Where angels tremble while they gaze ; 
He saw, till blasted with excess of light, 
He closed his eyes in endless night.' 
j' But it was the light of the body only that was extin- 
ji guished, the celestial light shone inward, and enabled 
' him to justify the ways of God to man. The result 
of his thinking was nevertheless not the same as the 
' author's. The mysterious incarnation of our Blessed 
I Saviour (which this work blasphemes in words so 
wholly unfit for the mouth of a Christian, or for the 
ear of a Court of Justice, that I dare not, and will 
• not, give them utterance.) Milton made the grand 
conclusion of the " Paradise Lost," the rest from his 
j finished labours, and the ultimate hope, expectation, 
and glory of the world : — 

* A Virgin is his Mother, but his Sire 
The power of the Most High ; he shall ascend 
The throne hereditary, and bound his reign* 
With Earth's wide bounds, his glory with the Heav'ns.' " 
Mr. E. next entered most forcibly and deeply into 
the evidences of Christianity, particularly those that 
were founded on that stupendous scheme of prophecy, 

* " Piety has found 

Friends in the friends of science, and true prayer 
Has flow'd from lips wet with Castalian dews. 
Such was thy wisdom, Newton, child-like sage ! 
Sagacious reader of the Works of God, 
And in his Word sagacious. Such, too, thine, 
; Milton, whose genius had angelic wings, 

And fed on manna. And such thine, in whom 
Our British Themis gloried with just cause, 
Immortal Hale ! for deep discernment prais'd. 
And sound integrity, not more than fam'd 
For sanctity of manners undefiled." 

Cowper's " Task" b* 3. 



Xvi PREFACE. 

which formed one of the most unanswerable argu- I 
ments for the truth of the Christian religion. " It was 
not," he said, " the purpose of God to destroy free j 
agency by overpowering the human mind with the | 
irresistible light and conviction of revelation, but to 
leave men to collect its truths, as they were gradually 
illustrated in the accomplishment of the divine pro- 
mises of the Gospel. Bred as he was to the consi- 
deration of evidence, he declared he considered the 
prophecy concerning the destruction of the Jewish 
nation, if there was nothing else to support Christi- 
anity, absolutely irresistible. The division of thei 
Jews into tribes, to preserve the genealogy of Christ; 
the distinction of the tribe of Judah, from which he 
was to come : the loss of that distinction when that 
end was accomplished ; the predicted departure of; 
the sceptre from Israel ; the destruction of the temple 
of Jerusalem, which imperial magnificence in vain; 
attempted to rebuild to disgrace the prophecy ; the | 
dispersion of this nation over the face of the whole I 
earth; the spreading of the Gospel throughout the i 
world ; the persecutions of its true ministers, and the 
foretold superstitions which for ages had defiled its 
worship." These were topics upon which Mr. Ers- j 
kine expatiated with great eloquence, and produced | 
most powerful effects on every part of the audience.* i 
Lord Kenyon, then, in addressing the jury, among 
other important things, said, " I sincerely wish that 
the author of the work in question may become a. 
partaker of that faith in revealed religion which he 
hath so grossly defamed, and may be enabled to make j 
his peace with God for that disorder which he has 
endeavoured to the utmost of his power to introduce I , 
into society. We have heard to-day, that the light j 
of nature, and the contemplation of the works of j 
creation, are sufficient, without any other revelation j , 
of the divine will. Socrates, Plato, Xenophon, Tully ! 

* Though I greatly admire the defence of Mr. Erskine in 
this oration, I am not clear the prosecution can be justified ! 
upon the genuine principles of Christian liberty. 



PREFACE. 



xvii 



I —each of them in their turns professed they wanted 
\ other lights ; and knowing; and confessing that God 
! was good, they took it for granted that the time 
1 would come when he would impart a further revela- 
i tion of his will to mankind. Though they walked as 
it were through a cloud darkly, they hoped their 
posterity would almost see God face to face. This 
I condition of mankind has met with reprehension to- 
ll day. But I shall not pursue this argument; fully irn- 
i; pressed with the great truths of religion , which, thank 
' ! God, I was taught in my early years to believe, and 
!| of which the hour of reflection and enquiry, instead of 
producing any doubt, has fully confirmed me in." 

He that feels not conviction enough from these 
reasonings and authorities to make him pause, at least, 
I in his deistical courses, is out of the reach of all ordi- 
nary means of conviction, and must be dealt with in 
some more fearful manner. I pray God his conscience 
may be alarmed as with thunder— that the arrows of 
the Almighty may stick fast within him — that his 
! soul may feel the terrors of hell following after him — - 
that, like the unhappy person just mentioned, he may 
be made a monument of divine justice in the sight 01 
all men—and that, like the celebrated Rochester, he 
may be finally snatched as a brand from the burning 
by the power of sovereign grace ! May that " blood, 
which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel, 
and on which he now profanely and insolently tram- 
ples, be applied to his soul by the energy of the eter- 
nal Spirit. And may there be joy in the presence of 
the angels of God at his conversion, and heaven's 
eternal arches resound with hallelujahs at the news 
of a sinner saved !" 

Reader:— The author of this little book, which is 
here put into your hand, cannot help being extremely 
alarmed for the safety of his friends in this day oi 
abounding infidelity, when he considers the declara- 
tion of Christ, that, " Whosoever shall be ashamed of 
him, and of his words, in this adulterous and sinful 

B 



Xviii PREFACE. 

generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be 
ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father 
with the holy angels." 

It is impossible to add any thing to the weight of 
these words. The heart that is unappalled by them, 
is harder than the nether mill-stone, and incapable 1 
of religious melioration. 

When you have perused the pamphlet two or three i 
times carefully over, if you think it calculated, in 
ever so small a degree, to impress the mind with con- 
viction, have the goodness to lend it to your unbe- 
lieving neighbour, remembering the words of St. 
James : — " Brethren ! if any of you do err from the 
truth, and one convert him, let him know, that he 
who converteth a sinner from the error of his ways 
shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multi- 
tude of sins." 

If you are dissatisfied with what is here advanced 
in favour of religion and the Sacred Writings, by no 
means give up the cause as desperate, but do your- 
self the justice to procure Bishop Watson's u Apolo- i 
gy for the Bible," in answer to Thomas Paine ; and 
his " Apology for Christianity," in answer to Mr. 
Gibbon. They are books small in size, but rich in i 
value. They discover great liberality of mind, much \ 
strength of argument, a clear elucidation of difficul- \ 
ties, and vast superiority of ability on this question, 
to the persons he undertook to answer. The best 
edition of the "Apology for the Bible," which is the j 
more popular and seasonable work of the two, is four 
shillings ; but an inferior one may be had from any of 
the booksellers at the reduced price of one shilling. 

Considering the sceptical spirit of the present age, 
and the danger young and inexperienced people are 
in of being seduced into the paths of irreligion, this, \ 
or some other antidote ought to be in every man's ! 
hand, who has any serious concern, eitherfor hisown 
felicity, or that of his friends and neighbours. 

DAVID SIMPSON. 

Macclesfield, September 12, 1797. 



ADVEKTISEMENT 

TO THE 

SECOND EDITION. 



This edition of the ie Plea for Religion," is enlarged 
with a considerable quantity of fresh matter, and is 
more than double the size of the former. 

The whole of the first edition is retained with some 
trifling alterations, and several of its parts enlarged 
and improved. 

The anecdotal additions are many and important, 
and, it is hoped, will be found to furnish a good de- 
gree of profitable amusement. 

Remarkable deistical conversions, with instances of 
unhappy and triumphant dissolutions, are here also 
more numerous. 

This edition is also considerably extended in the 
religious and practical part, and, the author trusts , 
not without advantage, as a lively and experimental 
sense of divine things upon the human mind is vindi- 
cated from the charge of enthusiasm, and the vile 
aspersions of a world that lieth in wickedness. 

The prophecies concerning Christ and his church, 
in these latter days, are treated pretty much at large, 
with a view to demonstrate the divine authority of 
the Sacred Writings. 
b 2 



XX 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



Other arguments for the truth or authenticity of 
the Scriptures* are suggested, the most common ob- 
jections stated and answered, and the whole rendered 
as concise and satisfactory as may be. 

Mr. Paine's objections to the Bible are particularly 
considered, and brief answers returned. His abuse 
of the sacred writers is also noticed with the severity 
it deserves, and his ignorance and malignity exposed. 

Many extracts from our most celebrated poets are 
interspersed. This will be considered as an excel- 
lence by some, and an imperfection by others. The 
literary reader will call to mind, that several of the 
most valuable authors among the ancients have 
written in the same manner — 

u A verse may catch him, who a sermon flies, 
And turn delight into a sacrifice." 

A compendious account of the present state of 
church preferments is introduced, besides a general 
view of the Dissenting congregations in this kingdom. 

The present state of the Methodist societies in 
Great Britain, Ireland, America, and the West Indies, 
is likewise noticed, with some account of the rise and 
meaning of that denomination of Christians. 

Some shameful instances of non residence, patron- 
age, and pluralities of livings, now in existence 
among the bishops and clergy of the land, are here 
detailed, and strongly reprehended. 

The Articles and Canons, the Liturgy, and other 
public offices of our church, are reviewed, and in some 
respects reproved. At the same time, most of the 
defects in our ecclesiastical frame are confirmed by 

* Consult Simpson's " Essay on the Authenticity of the 
New Testament," in answer to Yolney and Evanson ; but 
more especially Jones's " New and Full Method of Settling 
the Canonical Authority of the New Testament," 3 vols, 
octavo ; a most learned, able, valuable, and decisive work, 
just reprinted by the University of Oxford, though written 
by a dissenting minister : an instance of liberality not always 
to be met with. " Can any good thing come out of Galilee V' 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



xxi 



ii the opinions of some of our most learned and respec- 
| table writers. 

ii If the author is thought severe upon the episcopal 
| and clerical orders of men, let it be remarked, that 
| he esteems them all very highly in love for their 
: office' sake, because he is" persuaded it is of divine 
I appointment : and that, if at any time he has given 
j way to his indignation, and expressed himself in 
jj strong terms against these orders, it is never intend- 
l| ed to affect any but the culpable part of them ; and 
! ! that both the prophets under the Old Testament dis- 
j pensation, and Christ and his apostles under the New, 
have done the same. We cannot follow better exam- 
ples. 

" But, in a e Plea for Religion and the Sacred 
Writings,' where is the propriety of exposing the im- 
perfections of the church, with her bishops and clergy V 

Because the undiscerning world in general, and our 
deistical fellow creatures in particular, constantly 
unite them together, and wound the pure and immor- 
| tal religion of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Scriptures, 
through their sides ; whereas they are things essen- 
tially different. What has the character and gospel 
of Christ to do with the treachery of Judas, the 
cowardice of Peter, the ambition of James and John, 
the lukewarmness and worldly spirit of our bishops 
and clergy, or with the superstitions and secular 
appendages of the church of Rome, the church of 
England, or any other human establishment under 
heaven ? They are things perfectly distinct. And if 
we mean to defend the gospel to any purpose, it must 
be the gospel alone, independent of every human 
mixture and addition. Corrupt churches and bad 
men cannot be defended. 

The best part of the book, in the opinion of the 
author, i3 that where he has enlarged upon the ex- 
cellence and utility of the Sacred Writings. He con- 
fesses he is anxious to recommend them to the daily 
perusal of every man ; because he is persuaded both 



xxii 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



our present peace and future welfare very much de- 
pend upon the practice. He trusts, therefore, if all 
the rest of the book is rejected with contempt, this 
will be attended to with peculiar seriousness. 

The reduction of the national religion to the pure 
standard of the gospel, and the moral and religious 
reformation of all orders of men, are repeatedly in- 
sisted on, and with singular earnestness, as what 
alone, in his judgment, can save us from impending 
ruin. This is done, because he is firmly persuaded, 
there can be no general spread of evangelical princi- 
ples and practices, while the hierarchy is in its present 
contaminated state, and the bishops and clergy con- 
tinue in a condition so generally depraved. The good 
of his country is what he has exceedingly at heart, 
however much he may be mistaken in the means he 
thinks necessary to promote that end. 

The missions to the Heathen are here spoken of with 
zeal and approbation. These noble efforts for the 
salvation of mankind he believes to be one reason, 
among others, why, in the midst of abounding iniquity, 1 
our fate, as a nation, is for a season suspended.* 

* Is it not an instance of the most unamiable bigotry that 
ever was exhibited in a Christian country, that when such 
generous, disinterested, and noble efforts have been making 
for two or three years past, by various denominations of 
men, for the civilization and Christianization of the South 
Sea Islands, which contain some millions of gross idolaters, 
scarcely one bishop or dignified clergyman of the church of 
England — scarcely one Arian or Socinian congregation, 
those more opulent bodies of Dissenters— scarcely one no- 
bleman — and but very few rich commoners — appear to have 
contributed a shilling out of their ample revenues towards 
promoting this expensive and godlike design? The honour 
and blessedness of the glorious attempt is left to the poor I 
Is not such a conduct among our great ones speaking in 
the strongest of all language, that it is better the poor, mi- 
serable, benighted Heathen nations should continue in their 
present deplorable condition, than that they should be 
Drought out of darkness into " the glorious liberty of the 
children of God," in any other way than that prescribed by 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The extravagances of the French governors are 
., incidentally touched upon, and the vileness of their 
! conduct both towards their own people, and the 
| neighbouring nations, exposed.* 
J He has taken the liberty of mentioning a variety of 
j books upon different subjects. Some of these he has 
particularly recommended; others are only inserted 
among those of the same class. Young readers may 
j find their advantage in this part of his treatise, 
ij Both believers and unbelievers, he trusts, will meet 
•'' with something or another that will be useful to them . 
i Whatever is conceived to be pernicious, they will do 
well to reject, remembering that we are enjoined by 
a very high authority to prove all things, and hold 
fast that which is good. 

Several other miscellaneous matters are intersper- 
sed through the whole, which he wishes may be both 
profitable and pleasant ; — utile dulci. 

them! Oh! shame to these several orders of men. Wha 
a curse has not bigotry ever been to mankind? — "Mastei 
j we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and we forbade 
him, because he followed not us," said the selfish and party- 
spirited apostles. '* Forbid them not," replied the benevolent 
and liberal-minded Saviour, " for there is no man that can 
work a miracle in my name, who will lightly speak evil of 
me." I add, with the apostle, if Christ is preached, and souls 
saved, " I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice," whoever 
is the instrument. 

* The difference between the English and French in point 
of piety is more than once noticed in the following pages. 
I observe here still further, in honour of the brave Admiral 
Lord Nelson, that the very next morning after the victory, 
August 2, 1798, while all must have been yet hurry and 
confusion, he issued the following memorandum to all the 
captains of his squadron : — " Almighty God having blessed 
his majesty's arms with victory, the admiral intends return- 
ing public thanksgiving for the same at two o'clock this day, 
and he recommends every ship doing the same as soon as 
convenient." — Public thanks were accordingly returned at 
the hour appointed. This solemn act of gratitude to heaven 
seemed to make a very deep impression upon the minds of 
several of the French prisoners, both officers and men. 



XXiV. ADVERTISEMENT, 

If any of his clerical brethren are so far offended 
at the freedoms he has taken with his own order, or 
the established religion of his country, as to make a p 
reply, he shall think himself at liberty to return an 
answer, or otherwise, as he may judge expedient. 
So far as the moral and religious conduct of the clergy 
is concerned, the best answer to his charges will be, i 
to correct and amend what is amiss. So far as the 
durability of the ecclesiastical constitution of the 
country is in question, he would refer his indignant f 
reader to the prophetical declarations of the St. John 
of the Old Testament. 1 

Some repetitions will be found, and some mistakes 
discovered. The reader will have the goodness to 
excuse the former, and correct the latter. 

Two Appendixes are subjoined, the former of which 
contains some farther thoughts on a national reform ; 
and the latter, the author's reasons for resigning his 
preferment in the religious establishment of the coun- r 
try, and declining any longer to officiate as a minis- 
ter in the Church of England. 

If the author has advanced any thing that is wrong, 
uncharitable, unchristian, or unbecoming his station, 
in the course of these strictures, he is heartily sorry 
for it, and wishes it unsaid. " Let him not, however, ( 
accept any man's person, neither let him give flat- 
tering titles unto man; for he knows not to give 
flattering titles; in so doing, his Maker would soon 
take him away." Jt has been, therefore, his desire. , 
to speak the plain honest truth, as it appears to him, 
without any man's favour, or fearing any man's dis- 
pleasure.* He makes no question but a large nurn- 

* King George II., who was fond of the late Mr. Whiston, 1 
happened to be walking with him one day, during the heat 
of his ^persecution, in Hampton Court Gardens. As they j 
were talking upon this subject, his Majesty observed, "that i 
however right he might be in his opinions, it would be 
better if he k^pt them to himself." — "Is your Majesty 
really serious in your advice V answered the old man. " I 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



XXV 



ber of good men are to be found, both Id the esta- 
blished church and out of it. Even the most despised 
of sectaristSj he conceives, are not wholly destitute.* 

really am," replied the king. " Why then," said Whistou, 
" had Martin Luther been of this way of thinkinsr, where 
would your Majesty have been at this time ?" — " But why" 
i rejoins the impatient reader, " why speak so freely and 
I openly upon all these public abuses, at a time so critical as 
|! the present 1" Because I may never have another opportu- 
l! nity, and it is proper that somebody should speak. For the 
jj public abuses specified in these papers, he conceives, must 
' either be removed by the gentle hand of reform, or Divine 
| Providence will take the matter into its own hand, and sub- 
vert them by the rough hand of a most implacable enemy. 
I speak these things under correction, and with the most 
benevolent wishes for the prosperity of my king and country, 
and the universal spread of the Gospel of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. 

* The wise ones of this world would do well to call to 
mind, who it is that hath said, " That which is highly es- 
teemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God." — 
Luke xvi. 15. Compare 1 Cor. i. 20—28. Men, sects, and 
I parties, which are held in the highest estimation by the 
' world, are usually, perhaps universally, held in the lowest 
1 estimation by the Almighty ; and vice versa. The way to 
heaven prescribed by the Scripture, and the way to heaven 
I prescribed by worldly-minded men, are as opposite to each 
other as the east to the west. The former saith, " Strait is 
the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and 
few there be that find it." The latter say, "Wide is the 
gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth unto life, and many 
there be which go in thereat." Persons of this character 
are usually secure and confident, determined and resolute, 
merry and jovial, and perceive little or no danger, even 
when they are dancing blindfold on the brink of destruction. 
I remember somewhere reading of a genius of this sort, 
who, turning all serious godliness into ridicule and contempt, 
declared there was no need of so much ado, for if he had 
but time to say three words, " Lord, save me !" he did not 
doubt but he should go to heaven. Not long after, this 
same confident Gallio was riding a spirited horse over a bridge, 
upon which he met a flock of sheep ; the horse took fright, 
leaped over the battlement into the river, where his rider was 
drowned, and the last three words he was heard to speak werCj, 
" Devil— take— all I" 'Tis dangerous to provoke God ! 



xxvi 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



And, in his opinion, one such character is infinitely 
more inestimable than a million of immoral persons, 
those most miserable and contemptible of all human 
beings, who contaminate every neighbourhood where 
they dwell : or ever so large a body of mere literary 
clergymen, however extolled and caressed by the 
world, who, bloated with pride and self-importance, 
are a disgrace to the lowly spirit of the Saviour of 
mankind. To every truly pious and consistent Chris- 
tian, literate or illiterate, he would give the right 
hand of fellowship, and bid him God-speed in the 
name of the Lord, wherever he is found. Clerical 
bigots, however, of every description, he most cor- 
dially pities and despises. They are despicable ani- 
mals. Swollen with an imaginary dignity, they are 
wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own 
sight, lording it over the poor of Christ's flock, and 
binding heavy burdens upon them, and grievous to be 
borne, which they themselves will not move with one 
of their fingers. Such characters, whether found 
among Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, 
Quakers, or any other denomination of men, are the 
Scribes and Pharisees of the day, to whom the great 
and inflexible Judge of the world, in just and terrible 
language, exclaimed, " Ye serpents, ye generation of 
vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell V 9 
To the author ofthese papers the praise or dispraise 
of such men is almost equally indifferent. But a 
liberal-minded and benevolent soul, who embraces 
every human being in the arms of his charity, who 
rises" superior to the superstitious tribe of infallible 
doctors— the genus irritabile vatum ; who can pierce 
through the guise of human distinctions, and trace 
religious excellence among all orders and descriptions 
of men, he would clasp to his bosom, make him room 
in his heart, and give him a place in the attic story of 
his affections. He loves a generous soul, a noble 
spirit, with whom he can hold sweet converse* on 

* The third chapter of Malachi seems to me to contain 



ADVERTISEMENT, 



xxvii 



things human and divine; trace the awful footsteps 
of a mysterious Providence, 

"And justify the ways of God to man 
| while angels ministrant attend the enraptured strains 
!j — " O noctes cseneeque Deum !" 

From a melancholy dearth of such society, how- 
j ever, he is generally constrained to converse with the 
,1 ancient and modern dead, those first of human beings, 
( who have left us the image of their soul reflected in 
their immortal volumes. 

Here he sometimes seems to catch a ray of their 
genius ; to intermingle soul with soul ; to 'taste the 
raptures of their sacred rage ; and to meditate unut- 
terable things. Oh ! for a spirit of burning, to refine 
these drossy natures; " a muse of fire," to elevate 
his mind to their celestial strains ; and a seraph's 
wings to mount up to the blissful throng of the spirits 
of just men made perfect, around the throne of the 
great Father of the Universe, and his Son, the ever- 
j blest ! Yet a little while, and these shadows shall 

the most emphatical recommendation of religious conversa- 
tion that ever was penned. Cicero, too, speaks with an air 
of indignation of men of talents meeting together, and 
spending all their time in milking the ram, or holding the 
pail : — " Quasi vere clarorum virorum aut tacitos congressus 
esse oporteat, aut ludicros sermones, aut rerum colloquia 
leviorum." — Academ. Quasi, lib. 4. 

This brings to my mind an anecdote which I have some- 
where read concerning the immortal Locke, who, being 
invited by a certain nobleman to give the meeting to some 
of the most celebrated wits and scholars of the age, went in 
great expectation of enjoying a high intellectual repast. 
The card table being introduced after dinner, contrary to 
his expectation, he retired pensive and chagrined to the 
window. Enquiry being made if he was well, he replied, 
" He had come to give the company meeting in full confi- 
dence of receiving an uncommon degree of satisfaction in 
the conversation of such celebrated characters, and he must 
acknowledge that he felt himself hurt at the disappointment." 
The card table was immediately withdrawn, and a rich flow 
of souls begun, to his no small gratification. 



XXViii ADVERTISEMENT. 

flee away — these earthly tabernacles be taken down 
— these mortal bodies be clothed with immortality — 
the church militant be changed into the church tri- 
umphant—and the infinite Majesty of Heaven be 
seen without a veil, loved without a rival, and en- 
joyed without satiety, through the long round of | 
vast eternity! 

DAVID SIMPSON. 

Macclesfield, Jan. 1, 1799. 



A 

PLEA FOR RELIGION, 

&c. &c. 



FRIENDS AND COUNTRYMEN; 

There are few ages of the world but have produced 
various instances of persons who have treated the 
Divine dispensations either with neglect or scorn. 
Of these, some have persisted in their folly to the 
latest period of their earthly existence, while others 
\have discovered their mistake in time, and both 
sought and found forgiveness with God. In most 
ages, too, there have been some who have piously 
observed the manifestations of heaven; who have 
cordially received the Holy Scriptures as a revela- 
tion from on high ; and who have built their ever- 
lasting expectations upon the salvation which is 
therein revealed. The hopes of such persons have 
never been disappointed. If they have lived up, in any 
good degree, to their religious professions, they have 
always been favoured with peace of mind, and strong 
consolation in life, firm confidence in Christ, usually, 
at the hour of death, and have frequently gone ofF 
the stage of life into eternity, " rejoicing in the hope 
of the glory of God," with unspeakable and trium- 
phant joy. Examples of this kind, even among illi- 



30 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



terate men, women, and children, might be produced 
in numbers very considerable. But how extremely- 
different, most commonly, is the last end of those 
persons who have denied and scorned the revelations 
of Heaven ; who have rejected the Sacred Writings, 1 
and treated serious godliness with sneer and con- [ 
tempt ? — Nay, it has frequently been known, that j 
the first-rate geniuses, and greatest men of their 
times, have left the world under much darkness of 
mind, full of doubts, and fearful apprehensions, con- 
cerning the Divine favour, owing to their being too s 
deeply immersed in secular or literary pursuits ; to 
their living beneath their Christian privileges : and ■ 
spending too small a portion of their time in devout i 
retirement and religious exercises. Nothing, indeed, ] 
can keep the life of God vigorously alive in the soul ] 
but these exercises. Where they are either wholly 
neglected, or frequently interrupted, there the power 
of religion languishes. Faith and hope, peace and 
love, joy in, and confidence towards God, grow weak ; - 
doubts and fears, disquietude of mind, and scruples 
of conscience prevail. The sun goes down, and sets, 
to this world at least, under a dark and cheerless 
cloud. But where the humble believer in Christ 
Jesus (the eyes of his understanding being enlight- I', 
ened, and his fears alarmed by a seuse of danger,) 
lays aside every spiritual encumbrance, and the sin 
by which he hath been too often too easily overcome : 
where he resolutely breaks through every snare, and 
lives to the great purposes for which we were all 
born; where, with the illustrious philosopher and 
physician, Boerhaave, and the eminent statesman, 
Sir John Barnard, the Duke of Ormond, and Lord 
Capel,* he spends a due proportion of every day in 

* It was the custom of three of these great men to spend 
an hour every morning in private prayer and reading the 
Holy Scriptures ; and of the fourth, to meditate half an 
hour every day upon eternity. This gave them comfort and 
vigour of mind to support the toil and fatigue of the day. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 31 

private prayer, meditation, and reading the sacred 
volume; there, with these truly valuable men, he 
jj usually hath large enjoyment of the consolations of 
| religion, and abounds in peace, and hope through the 
j power of the Holy Ghost. He goes through life, if 
not smoothly and usefully, at least contentedly and 
|] happily. While in the eyes of those persons, who 
boast of their superiority of understanding, andfree- 
dom from vulgar prejudices, the Eedeemer of the 
J world becomes daily more and more contemptible ; 
and in the eyes of the lukewarm Christian less and 

I Nay, we are told in the Life of the Duke of Qrmond, that 
; " he never prepared for bed, or went abroad in a morning, 
! till he had withdrawn an hour to his closet. We might 
mention a considerable number of similar instances. John, 
Lord Harrington, who died A.D. 1613, at the age of 22 years, 
was a young nobleman of eminent piety, and rare literary 
attainments. He was an early riser, and usually spent a 
considerable part of the morning in private prayer, and 
reading the Sacred Writings. The same religious exercise 
was also pursued both in the evening and at mid-day. Sir 
! Hardbottle Grimstone, Master of the Rolls, an eminent 
I lawyer, a just judge, and a person of large fortune, who 
lived in the last century, " was a very pious and devout 
• man, and spent every day at least an hour in the morning, 
and as much at night, in prayer and meditation. And even 
in winter, when he was obliged to be very early on the 
bench, he took care to rise so soon that he had always the 
command of that time, which he gave to those exercises." 
This brings to my mind the case of the late Colonel James 
Gardiner, who was slain at the battle of Preston Pans, A.D. 
1745. This brave man used constantly to rise at four in the 
morning, and to spend " his time till six in the secret exer- 
cises of devotion, meditation and prayer. And if at any 
time he was obliged to go out before six in the morning, he 
rose proportionably sooner ; so that when a journey, or 
march, has required him to be on horseback at four, he 
would be at his devotions at furthest by two." The same 
holds true of General Sir William Waller, who was as devout 
; in the closet as he was valiant in the field. Let the reader 
mark well, that none of these religious persons were either 
monks or parsons, but men of great consideration in the 
world, who were engaged in the most active scenes of life. 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



less desirable; in the estimation of the devout and 
lively believer, who by waiting on the Lord renews 
his strength, the Son of Godwin his person, offices, 
and work, appears with increasing affection, "the 
chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely." 
Being convinced of sin, and" justified by faith, he I 
has peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
and the love of God is shed abroad in his heart by the 
Holy Ghost which is given unto him." He is 
"strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner 
man, and Christ dwells in his heart by faith/' " Being 
rooted and grounded in love, he comprehends with all 
saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, 
aud heighth, and he knows the love of Christ ;" 
though indeed " it passeth knowledge." He is, more- 
over, " filled with all the" communicable fullness of 
God, and peace passing understanding keepeth his 
heart and mind through Christ Jesus." 

" A Christian dwells, like Uriel, in the sun : 

Meridian evidence puts doubt to flight ; 
• And ardent hope anticipates the skies." — Young. 
The language of the soul is, " Who have I in hea- 
ven but thee, O God ! and there is none upon earth 
that I desire in comparison with thee." To do unto 
others as he would have them do unto him, is the J 
great law of his life, in all his dealings between man 
and man ; and whereinsoever he falls short of a full 
compliance with this royal statute, he laments and 
bewails his folly ; makes satisfaction according to the 
nature of the case ; flees to " the blood sprinkling" for 
pardon ; and returns with renewed vigour to the path 
of duty. "Giving all diligence, he adds to his faith, 
virtue ; to virtue, knowledge ; and to knowledge, 
temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to 
patience, godliness ; and to godliness, brotherly 
kindness ; and to brotherly kindness, charity. With 
zealous affection he cultivates the holy tempers i 
which were in Christ; bowels of mercy, lowliness, 
meekness, gentleness, contempt of the worlds pa- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 33 

| tience, temperance, long-suffering, a tender love to 
ij every human being, bearing, believing, hoping, en- 
|i during all thingsT He " submits himself to every 
ordinance of man for the Lord's sake ; whether it be 
to the king as supreme ; or unto governors, as unto 
them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil 
ij doers, and for the praise of them that do well." He 
J pays all due respect unto men of every rank and de- 
ll gree. He loves with peculiar affection the whole 
l| brotherhood of believers in Christ Jesus. He so fears 
■ God as to depart from evil, and so honours the king 
| as to be ready, on every proper call, to sacrifice his 
life for the good of the public. He endeavours to ac- 
quit himself with propriety in every station, whether 
as master, servant, parent, child, magistrate, subject, 
teacher, learner. In short, " whatsoever things are 
true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things 
are just, whatsoever things are of good report," to 
these he attends with the utmost diligence and assi- 
: duity. This is the Christianity which the Son of God 
I taught unto the world.* And he that is of this 

* Dr. Robertson, our celebrated historian, tells us, that 
" Christianity is rational and sublime in its doctrines, humane 
and benificent in its precepts, pure and simple in its wor- 
ship." And even Mr. Paine is constrained to confess, that 
" Jesus Christ was a virtuous and an amiable man; that 
the morality which he preached and practised was of the 
most benevolent kind ; that though similar systems of mo- 
rality had been preached by Confucius, and by some of the 
Greek philosophers many years before, and by many good 
men in ail ages, it has not been exceeded by any." — Im- 
portant concession ! Where is the propriety then of endea- 
vouring to explode the Gospel ?— Thou art condemned out 
of thine own mouth ! Lord Bolingbroke has made conces- 
sions similar to this of Paine : — " No religion, 5 ' says he, " ever 

j appeared in the world, whose natural tendency was so much 
directed to promote the peace and happiness of mankind as 

j Christianity. No system can be more simple and plain than 
that of natural religion, as it stands in the Gospel. The system 
of religion which Christ published, and his Evangelists re- 
corded, is a complete system to all the purposes of religion 
C 



34 A ,PLEA FOR RELIGION 

religion is u my brother, my sister, and my mother," 
by what name soever he is distinguished and called. : 
I do not say, however, that this is the religion of tlifife 
great body of persons who call themselves Christians. 
Much otherwise. Many who are so called are ex- 
tremely immoral. Others are guilty only of some 
particular vice. Some are decent in their general 
conduct, and pretty attentive to religious observances ; 
but yet total strangers to inward religion. Great 
sticklers for their own party, be it what It may, they 
harbour a strong aversion to all who dare to think F 
for themselves, and presume to dissent from them in 
principle or practice. So remote are they from the I 
character and experience of the above evangelical 
requirements, that they consider them as delusive 
and enthusiastic. Something in the form of godliness - 
they have gotten, but they deny, and sometimes I 
even ridicule the power. Be this as it may, true ' 
religion is still the same; and the above is a scriptural 
sketch of it, whether we will hear, or whether we 1 !, 
will forbear. So far too are real Christians from being s 

natural and revealed. Christianity, as it stands in the 
Gospel, contains not only a complete, but a very plain 
system of religion. The Gospel is in all cases one- continued i 
lesson of the strictest morality, of justice, of benevolence, 
and of universal charity." These are strange concessions 
from a professed Deist ! And yet, strange as they certainly 7 
are, much the same have been made by Blount, Tindal, : 
Morgan, Toland, Chubb, Rousseau, and most of our other ? 
real or pretended unbelievers. The truth is, all these deis- , 
tical gentlemen could approve the morality, or some parts i 
of the morality, of the New Testament, but they could 
neither understand nor approve the grand scheme of re- [ 
demption therein exhibited. Vv T hy '? Because " the natural f 
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ; they are I 
foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them, because l 
they are spiritually discerned. " — 1 Cor. ii. 14. They were 
blind to all the glories of the Gospel scheme. They neither 
saw nor felt their need of such redemption as is therein ex- p 
hibited. What wonder then if they spent their lives in i 
opposing its gracious designs ? ) 

r 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



ashamed of this gospel-method of saving a lost world, 
> that they make it their boast and song all the day 
i through " in the house of their pilgrimage." 

" I'll praise my Maker with my breath ; 
And when my voice is lost in death, 

Praise shall employ my nobler pow'rs. 
My days of praise shall ne'er be past, 
3 While life, and thought, and being last, 

Or immortality endures." 

ij They experience its effect in raising them from the 
1 ruins of their fall. They lament with sincere eontri- 
i| tion the sins and follies of their unregenerate state. 
They discover nothing but condemnation, while they 
remain under the covenant of works. They flee for 
\ refuge to the only hope of sinful men ; and consider 
themselves as the happiest of God's creatures in hav- 
ing this plank thrown out, on which they are per- 
mitted to escape safe to land. In the mean time, 
they feel this religion makes them easy, comfortable, 
and happy ; and seems adapted with consummate 
! wisdom to their state and circumstances. 

" Soft peace she brings, wherever she arrives. 
She builds her quiet as she forms our lives ; 
Lays the rough paths of peevish nature ev'n, 
And opens in each breast a little heav'n." 

This is the portion of happiness which the gospel 
yields us while we live, and we have not the smallest 
fear that it will fail us when we die. On the contrary, 
we know, that " our light affliction" in this world, 
" which is." comparatively, a but for a moment, 
worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal 
weight of glory;" and that, "if our earthly house of 
this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of 
God, a house not made with hands, eternal in "the 
: heavens."* 

* " If there is one condition in this life more happy than 
another," says a great author, " it is surely that of him, 
who founds all his hopes of futurity on the promises of the 
Gospel ; who carefully endeavours to conform his actions to 
c 2 



3C 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



" Nothing on earth we call our own, -I 
But strangers, to the world unknown, 

We all their goods despise; 
We trample on their -whole delight, 
And seek a city out of sight, 

A country in the skies." 

If then the religion of Jesus Christ be a delusion, 
it is, at least, a happy delusion ; and even a wise man 
would scarcely wish to be undeceived. He would 
rather be ready to say with the great Roniaa Orator, 
when speaking of the immortality of the soul : — " If 
in this I err, I willingly err; nor, while I live, shall 
any man wrest from me this error, with which I am 
extremely delighted.* 

If we wish to exemplify these observations, it would s 
be no difficult matter to produce various very strik- J 
ing instances of persons, as well from the Sacred 
Writings, as from the history of these latter ages, 
whose conduct and character have been conformable 1 
to the above representations. But as the Bible is in i 
every one's hands, and may be consulted at pleasure, 
we will call the attention of the reader to a few in- 
stances of persons who have been eminent in their 
way, during these later ages only, and some of them 
even in our own times. These may be Dying Infidels I 

its precepts : looking upon the great God Almighty as his pro 
tector here, his reward hereafter, and his everlasting preserver. 
This is a frame of mind so perfective of our nature, that if 
Christianity, from a belief of which it can only be derived, 
was as certainly false as it is certainly true, one could not 
help wishing that it might be universally received in the 
world." Mr. Pope has a declaration to Bishop Atterbury to ' i 
the same purport, which is worthy of memorial. " The boy 
despises the infant, the man the boy, the philosopher both, 
and the Christian all." 

* " Si hoc erro, lubenter erro ; nec mihi hunc errorem, 
quo delector, dum vivo, extorqueri volo." Mr. Addison 
also very properly saith, when speaking of the immortality 
of the soul, — "If it is a dream, let me enjoy it, since it 
makes me both the happier and the better man." — Sj)ectatar, 
No. 136. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 37 

| —Penitent and Recovered Infidels— Dying Christi- 
j ans, who have lived too much in the spirit of the 
world— and Christians dying, either with great com- 
I posure of mind, or in the'full assurance of faith.* 



I I.— EXAMPLES OF DYING INFIDELS. 

! 

I| tf The wicked is driven away in his own wickedness."— Prov. 
111 xiv. 32. 

I " Horrible is the end of the unrighteous generation." — Wis. 
1 iii. 19. 

1. Mr. Hobbes was a celebrated Infidel in the last 
age, who in bravado would sometimes speak very 

I unbecoming things of God and his word. Yet, when 
alone, he was haunted with the most tormenting re- 
flections, and would awake in great terror if his 
candle happened only to go out in the night. He 
could never bear any disccurse of death, and seemed 

| to cast off all thought of it.f He lived to be upwards 

* " There is nothing in history," says this elegant writer 
j in another place, " which is so improving to the reader as 
those accounts which we meet with of the deaths of eminent 
persons, and of their behaviour at that dreadful season. I 
may also add, that there are no parts in history which affect 
and please the reader in so sensible a manner." — Spectator, 
No. 298. 

+ What an amiable character was the heathen Socrates, 
when compared with this infidel philosopher ? Just before 
the cup of poison was brought him, entertaining his friends 
with an admirable discourse on the immortality of the soul, 
he has these words :— " Whether or no God will approve 
my actions I know not ; but this I am sure of, that I have 
at all times made it my endeavour to please him, and I have 
a good hope that this my endeavour will be accepted by 
; him." Who can doubt but the merits of the all-atoning 
I Lamb of God were extended to this virtuous heathen ? How 
■ few professed Christians can honestly make the same ap- 
peal ? Besides, Socrates seems to have had as firm a faith 
in a Saviour, then to come, as many of the most virtuous 
of the Isyaelitish nation. 



A PLEA. FOR RELIGION 



of ninety. His last sensible words were, when he ! 
found he could live no longer, " I shall be glad then 
to find a hole to creep out of the world at." And, 1 
notwithstanding all his high pretension to learning 
and philosophy, his uneasiness constrained hiin to 
confess, when'he drew near to the grave, that " he I 
was about to take a leap in the dark." The writings 
of this old sinner ruined the Earl of Rochester, and I 
many other gentlemen of the first parts in this nation, 
as that nobleman him self declared after his conversion. 

2. The account which the celebrated Sully gives 
us of young Servin is out of the common way. " The 
beginning of June, 1623," says he," I set out for Calais, 
where I am to embark, having with me a retinue of 
upwards of two hundred gentlemen, or who called 
themselves such, of whom a considerable number 1 
were really of the first distinction. Just before my 
departure, old Servin came and presented his son to 
me, and begged I would use my endeavours to make 
him a man of some worth and honesty ; but he con- 
fessed he dared not hope, not through any want of 
understanding or capacity in the young man, but from 
his natural inclination to all kinds of vice. The old 
man was in the right ; what he told me having ex- ' 
cited my curiosity to gain a thorough knowledge of ' 
young Servin, I found him to be at once both a won- 
der and a monster ; for I can give no other idea of 
that assemblage of the most excellent and most per- 
nicious qualities. Let the reader represent to him- 
self a man of a genius so lively, and an understanding 
so extensive, as rendered him scarcely ignorant of any 
thing that could be known ; of so vast and ready a 
comprehension, that he immediately made himself 
master of what he attempted ; and of so prodigious 
a memory, that he never forgot what he had once | 
learned ; he possessed ail parts of philosophy and the 1 
mathematics, particularly fortification and drawicg. j 
Even in theology he was so well skilled, that he was 
an excellent preacher, whenever he had a mind to ex- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 39 

J ert that talent, and an able disputant for and against 
I the reformed religion indifferently. He not only 
I understood Greek, Hebrew, and all the languages 
I which we call learned, but also the different jargons, 
|| or modern dialects. He accented and pronounced 
j them so naturally, and so perfectly imitated theges- 
j tures and manners both of the several nations of 
| Europe, and the particular provinces of France, that 
i he might have been taken for a native of all or any 
j of these countries ; and this quality he applied to 
' counterfeit all sorts of persons, wherein he succeeded 
j wonderfully. He was, moreover, the best comedian, 
and greatest droll that perhaps ever appeared : hehad 
a genius for poetry, and wrote many verses : he play- 
ed upon almost all instruments, was a perfect master 
of music, and sung most agreeably and justly. He 
likewise could say mass ; for he was of a disposition 
to do, as well as to know all things ; his body was 
perfectly well suited to his mind, he was light, nim- 
ble, dexterous, and lit for all exercises ; he could ride 
well, and in dancing, wrestling, and leaping he was 
admired ; there are no recreative games he did not 
know; and he was skilled in almost all the mechanic 
arts. But now for the reverse of the medal : here it 
appeared that he was treacherous, cruel, cowardly, 
deceitful ; a liar, a cheat, a drunkard, and a glutton ; 
a sharper in play, immersed in every species of vice, 
a blasphemer, an atheist : in a word, in him might be 
found all the vices contrary to nature, honour, religion, 
and society ; the truth of which he himself evinced 
with his latest breath, for he died in the flower of his 
age, in a common brothel, perfectly corrupted by his 
debaucheries, and expired with a glass in his hand, 
cursing and denying God." 

It is evident from this extraordinary case, that 
"with the talents of an angel a man may be a fool." 
There is no necessary connection between great na- 
turalabilities and religious qualifications. They may 
go together, but they are frequently found asunder. 



40 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



3. The honourable Francis Newport, who died in 
the year 1692, was favoured both with a liberal and 
religious education. After spending five years in the 
University, he was entered in one of the Inns of Court. 
Here he fell into the hands of Infidels, lost all his 
religious impressions, commenced Infidel himself, and 
became a most abandoned character, uniting himself 
to a club of wretches who met together constantly to 
encourage each other in bein£ critically wicked. In 
this manner he conducted himself for several years, 
till at length his intemperate courses brought on an 
illness, which revived all his former religious impres- 
sions, accompanied with inexpressible horror of mind. 
The violence of his torments was such, that he sweat 
in the most prodigious manner . that ever was seen. 
In nine days he was reduced from a robust state of 
health to perfect weakness ; during all which time 
his language was the most dreadful that imagination 
can conceive. At one time, looking towards the fire, 
he said, " Oh! that I was to lie and broil upon that 
fire for a hundred thousand years, to purchase the 
favour of God, and be reconciled to him again ; But 
it is a fruitless, vain wish : millions of years will bring 
me no nearer to the end of my tortures than one poor 
hour. O eternity ! eternity! who can properly para- 
phrase upon the words — for ever and ever!" 

In this kind of strain he went on, till his strength 
was exhauster] . and his dissolution approached ; when 
recovering a little breath, with a groan fso dreadful 
and loud, as if it had not been human, he cried out, 
" Oh ! the insufferable pangs of hell and damnation !" 
and so died ; death settling the visage of his face in 
such a form, as if the body, though dead, were sen- 
sible of the extremity of torments. 

It may be much questioned, whether a more affec- 
ting narrative* was ever composed in any language, 
than the true history of this unhappy gentleman's last 

* It has been sometimes called the second Spira. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



! sickness and death. It is greatly to be desired that men 
of all denominations would give it a serious perusal. 

4. Mr. William Emmerson was, at the same time, 
an Infidel, and one of the first mathematicians of the 
age. Though, in some respects, he might be consi- 
dered as a worthy man, his conduct through life was 

jf rude, vulgar, and frequently immoral. He paid no 
!| attention to religious duties, and both intoxication and 
|l prophane language were familiar to him. Towards 
|i the close of his life, being afflicted with the stone, he 
!' would crawl about the floor on his hands and knees, 
l| sometimes praying, and sometimes swearing, as the 
humour took him.* — What a poor creature is man 
without religion! Sir Isaac Newton died of the same 
I disorder, which was attended, at times, with such 
i severe paroxysms, as forced out large drops of sweat 
that ran down his face. In these trying circumstan- 
ces, however, he was never observed to utter any 
complaint, or to express the least impatience. What a 
striking contrast between the conduct of the Infidel 
| and the Christian ! 

5. Monsieur Voltaire, during a long life, was con- 
tinually treating the Holy Scriptures with contempt, 
and endeavouring to spread the poison of infidelity 
through the natons. See, however, the end of such a 
conduct. In his last illness he sent for Dr. Tronchin ; 
who, when he came, found Voltaire in the greatest 
agonies, exclaiming with the utmost horror, " I am 
abandoned by God and man." He then said, " Doctor, 
I will give you half of what I am worth if you will 
give me six months life." The Doctor answered, 
" Sir, you cannot live six weeks." Voltaire replied, 
" Then I shall go to hell, and you will go with me !" 
and soon after expired. 

* This extraordinary man, by way of justifying his own 
irreligious conduct, drew up his objections to the Sacred 
Writings much in the way as Thomas Paine ; but it does 
not appear that they were ever laid before the public, as 
Thomas Paine's have been. 



42 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



This is the hero of modern Infidels ! Dare any of 
them say, Let me die the death of Voltaire, and let 
my last end be like his! Wonderful infatuation! I 
This unhappy gentleman occupies the first niche in 
the French pantheon ! That he was a man of great 
and various talents, none can deny ; but his want of ! I 
sound learning, and moral qualifications, will ever 
prevent his being ranked with the benefactors of i I 
mankind by the wise and good. Such a hero indeed 
is befitting a nation under judicial infatuation, to 
answer the wise ends of the governor of the world. 
If the reader has felt himself inj ured by the poison of 
this man's writings, he may find relief from a wound- 
ed mind by perusing carefully Findley's Vindication 
of the Sacred Books from the Misrepresentations 
and Cavils of Voltaire, and Lefanu's Letters ofcer- I I 
tain Jews to Voltaire. The hoary Infidel cuts but a 
very sorry figure in the hands of the sons of Abraham. 

Since the publication of the first^edition of this I 
little work, we have had an account of the last days 
of this extraordinary man by the Abbe Barruel, ' 
author of The History of the French Clergy. And 
it is so extremely interesting, that I will lay it before 
the reader in a translation of that gentleman's own 1 
words, taken from his History of Jacobinism, by I 
the editor of the British Critic. 

u It was during Voltaire's last visit to Paris, when 
his triumph was complete, and he had even feared 
lie should die with glory amidst the acclamations 
of an infatuated theatre, that he was struck by the 
hand of Providence, and made a. very different ter- 
mination of his career. 

" In the midst of his triumphs, a violent hemorrhage 
raised apprehensions for his life. D'Alembert, Di- 
derot, and Marmontel, hastened to support his reso- 
lution in his last moments, but were only witnesses 
to their mutual ignominy, as well as to his own. 

" Here let not the historian fear exaggeration. 
Rage, remorse, reproach, and blasphemy, all accom- 



AND THE SACRED WHITINGS. 



43 



!| pany and characterize the long agony of the dying 
i| atheist. His death, the most terrible ever recorded 
j: to have stricken the impious man, will not be denied 
I by his companions in impiety. Their silence, how- 
| ever much they may wish to deny it, is the least of 
those corroborative proofs, which might be adduced, 
j Not one of the Sophisters has ever dared to mention 
j any sign given, of resolution or tranquillity, by the 
| premier chief, during the space of three months, 
l| which elapsed from the time he was crowned in the 
| theatre until his decease. Such a silence expresses 
| how great their humiliation was in his death. 

" It was in his return from the theatre, and in the 
midst of the toils he was resuming in order to acquire 
fresh applause, when Voltaire was warned, that the 
long career of his impiety was drawing to an end. 

"In spite of all the Sophisters flocking around 
him, in the first days of !his illness, he gave signs of 
wishing to return to God whom he had so often 
blasphemed. He calls for the priest, who ministered 
to him, whom he had sworn to crush, under the ap- 
pellation of the wretch.* His danger increasing, he 
wrote the following note to the Abbe Gaultier: — 
' You had promised, sir, to come and hear me. I 
intreat you would take the trouble of calling as soon 
as possible/— Signed, Voltaire. Paris, 20th Feb. 1778. 

" A few days after this he wrote the following de- 
claration, in the presence of the same Abbe Gaultier, 
the Abbe Mignot, and the Marquis de Villevieille, 
copied from the minutes deposited with M. Momet, 
notary, at Paris:— 

" ( I, the under-written, declare, that for these 
four days past, having'been afflicted with a vomiting 
of blood, at the age of eighty-four, and not having 
been able to drag myself to the church, the Rev. the 

* It had been customary, during many years, for Voltaire 
to call our blessed Saviour — the wretch. And he vowed 
that he would crush him. He closes many of his letters to 
his infidel friends with the same words—crash the wretch ! 



44 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Rector of St. Surplice having been pleased to add to 
his good works that of sending to me the Abbe 
Gaultier, a priest, I confessed to him; and if it 
please God to dispose of me, I die in the Holy Ca- 
tholic Church, in which I was born ; hoping that 
the divine mercy will deign to pardon all my faults. 
If ever I have scandalized the church, I ask pardon 
of God and of the Church. Second of March, 1778. 
Signed, Voltaire ; in the presence of the Abbe Mig- 
not, my nephew, and the Marquis de Villevieille, my 
friend.' 

" After the two witnesses had signed this declara- 
tion, Voltaire added these words, copied from the 
same minutes : — 6 The Abbe Gaultier, my confessor, 
having apprised me that it was said among a certain 
set of people, I ' should protest against every thing I 
did, at my death I declare. I never made such a 
speech, and that it is an old jest, attributed long 
since to many of the learned, more enlightened than 
I am.' 

" Was this declaration a fresh instance of his for- 
mer hypocrisy? for he had the mean hypocrisy, 
even in the midst of his efforts against Christianity, 
to receive the sacrament regularly, and to do other 
acts of religion, merely to be able to deny his Xnfi- I 
delity, if accused of it. 

" Unfortunately, after the explanations we have 
seen him give of his exterior acts of religion, might 
there not be room for doubt ? Be that as it may, 
there is a public homage paid to that religion in 
which he declared he meant to die, notwithstanding 
his having perpetually conspired against it during I 
his life. This declaration is also signed by that same 
friend and adept the Marquis de Villevieille, to 
whom, eleven years before, Voltaire was wont to 
write, ' Conceal your march from the enemy, in your 
endeavours to crush the wretch ! 

"Voltaire had permitted this declaration to be 
earned to the Rector of St. Surplice, and to the 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



45 



j Archbishop of Paris, to know whether it would be 
i sufficient. When the Abbe Gaultier returned with 
the answer, it was impossible for him to gain admit- 
tance to the patient. The conspirators had strained 
! every nerve to hinder the chief from consummating 
! his recantation ; and every avenue was shut to the 
priest whom Voltaire himself had sent for. The 
J daemons haunted every access; rage succeeds to 
fury, and fury to rage again, during the remainder of 
j his life. 

"Then it was that D'Alemberfc, Diderot, and about 
I twenty others of the conspirators, who had beset his 
apartment, never approached him, but to witness 
their own ignominy ; and often he would curse them, 
I and exclaim, 4 Retire! It is you that have brought 
j me to my present state ! Begone ! I could have done 
without you all; but you could not exist without 
me! And what a wretched glory have you pro- 
cured me !' 

" Then would succeed the horrid remembrance of 
I his conspiracy. They could hear him, the prey of 
I anguish and dread, alternately supplicating or blas- 
pheming that God, against whom he had conspired ; 
and in plaintive accents he would cry out, 4 Oh 
Christ! Oh Jesus Christ!' and then complain that he 
was abandoned by God and man. The hand, which 
had traced in ancient writ the sentence of an impious 
and reviling king, seemed to trace before his eyes, 
Crush, then, do crush the wretch? In vain he 
turned his head away; the time was coming apace 
when he was to appear before the tribunal of Him 
whom he had blasphemed ; and his physicians, par- 
ticularly Mr. Tronchin, calling in to administer re- 
lief, thunder-struck, retired, declaring that the 
death of the impious man was terrible indeed. The 
pride of these conspirators would willingly have sup- 
pressed these declarations, but it was in vain. The 
Mareschal de Richelieu flies from the bed-side, de- 
claring it to be a sight too terrible to be sustained ; 



46 



A PLTJA FOR RELIGION 



and Mr. Tronchin, that the furies of Orestes could 
give but a faint idea of those of Voltaire."* 

6. Mr. Addison mentions a gentleman in France, 
who was so zealous a promoter of infidelity, that he 
had got together a select company of disciples, and • 
travelled into all parts of the kingdom to make con- I 
verts. In the midst of his fantastical success he fell 
sick, and was reclaimed to such a sense of his condi- 1 
tion, that after he had passed some time in great 
agonies and horrors of mind, he bogged those who 
had the care of burying him to dress his body in the 
habit of a Capuchin, that the devil might not run' 
away with it: and, to do further justice upon him- 
self, he desired them to tie a halter about his neck, 
as a mark of that ignominious punishment, which, 
in his own thoughts, he had so justly deserved. 

7. The last days of David Plume, that celebrated 
infidel, were spent in playing at whist, in cracking 
his jokes about Charon and his boat, and in reading 
Lucian, and other ludicrous books. This is a con- 

* Diderot and D Alembert also, his friends and companions 
in Infidelity, are said to have died with remorse of conscience . 
somewhat similar to the above. This account of the unhappy- 
end of Voltaire is confirmed by a letter from M. de Luc, an j 
eminent philosopher, and a man of the strictest honour and ! 
probity. Let the reader consult D'Alembert's account of 
the death of Voltaire, in a letter to the King of Prussia, and ' 
his Eulogium at Berlin, where it is partly denied ; but 
denied in such a way as to give strong reason to suppose | 
his end was without honour. See King of Prussia's Works, 
vol. xii. p. 140 — 152 ; and vol. xiii. p. 517. Mr. Cowper, in 
his poem on Truth, has alluded to the above circumstances 
in the character of this arch infidel : — 

" The Frenchman first in literary fame 

(Mention him if you please — Voltaire ? — The same) — 

"With spirit, genius, eloquence supplied, 

Liv'd long, wrote much, laugh'd heartily, and died ; 

The Scripture was his jest-book, whence he drew 

Bon-mots to gall the Christian and the Jew. 

An Infidel in health ; — but what when sick ? 

Oh, then a text would touch him at the quick !" 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



47 



j summation est worthy of a clever fellow, whose 
" conscience was seared as with a hot iron !" Dr. 
j! Johnson observes upon this impenitent death-bed 
: scene — " Hume owned he had never read the New 
j Testament with attention. Here, then, was a man, 
who had been at no pains to inquire into the truth of 
3 religion, and had continually turned his mind the 
| other way. It was not to be expected that the pros- 
|j pect of death should alter his way of thinking, unless 
I God should send |an angel to set him right. He had 
!' a vanity in being thought easy." Dives " fared 
j sumptuously every day," and saw no danger; but— 
; the next thing we hear of him is — " In hell he lifted 
up his eyes, being in torments !"* 

* It is much to be lamented that a man of Hume's abi- 
lities should have prostituted his talents in the manner it is 
well known he did. With' all his pretensions to philosophy, 
he was an advocate for adultery and suicide. The reader 
will find a sufficient answer to his sophistry in Home's 
! Letters on Infidelity, Beattie's Essay on the Nature and 
I Immortality of Truth, in Opposition to Sophistry and 
J Scepticism, and Campbell on the Miracles of Christ. See 
J also some very just and striking reflections concerning 
; Hume in the Eclectic Review for February, 1808. Mr. 
; Gibbon was one of the most respectable Deists of the present 
| age, and more like Hume, in several respects, than any 
other of the opposers of Christianity. Very sufficient reasons, 
however, may be given for his infidelity, without in the 
least impeaching the credit of the evangelical system. Mr. 
Porson, in the preface to his Letters to Mr. Archdeacon 
Travis, after giving a very high, and, indeed, just character 
of Mr. Gibbon's celebrated History, seems to account for 
his rejecting the gospel in a satisfactory manner, from the 
state of his mind. " He shows," says this learned gentleman, 
" so strong a dislike to Christianty, as visibly disqualifies 
him for that society of which he has created Ammianus 
Marcellinus president. I confess that I see nothing wrong in 
Mr. Gibbon's attack on Christianity.f It proceeded, I doubt 
| not, from the purest and most virtuous motive. We can 
only blame him for carrying on the attack in an insidious 

+ This seems a culpable excess of candour, almost amount- 
ing to indifference. 



48 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

Mr. Gibbon says, " He died the death of a philo- 
sopher!"* Bravo! bravo! If philosophers die in 
such a manner, may it be my lot to die like an old- 
fashioned and enthusiastic Christian. 

8. Of all the accounts which are left us of the latter 
end of those who are gone before into the eternal 
state, several are more horrible, but few so affecting, 
as that which is given us. by his own pen. of the late 
all-accomplished Earl of Chesterfield. It shows, in- 

manner, and with improper motives. He often makes, 
when he cannot readily rind, an occasion to insult our 
religion, which he hates so cordially, that he might seem 
to revenge some personal injury. Such is his eagerness in 
the cause, that he stoops to the most despicable pun, or to 
the most awkward perversion of language, for the pleasure 
of turning Scripture into ribaldry, or of calling Jesus an 
impostor. A rage for indecency pervades the whole work, 
but especially the last volumes. If the history were anony- 
mous, I should guess that these disgraceful obscenities were 
written by some debauchee, who having, from age, or acci- 
dent, or excess, survived the practice of lust, still indulged 
himself in the luxury of speculation, and exposed the im- 
potent imbecility, after he had lost the vigour of the passions." 

* Such are the opposers of Jesus and his Gospel ! — Let us 
see how this sneering antagonist of Christianity terminated 
his own mortal career Eager for the continuation of his 
present existence, having little expectation of any future 
one, he declared to a friend, about twenty-four hours pre- 
vious to his departure, in a flow of self-gratulation, that he 
thought only of a good life for ten, twelve, or perhaps 
twenty years. And during his short illness, it is observable 
that he never gave the leasi intimation of a future state of 
existence. This Insensibility at the hour of dissolution is, 
in the language of scepticism, dying like a clever fellow, the 
death of a philosopher ! — See Evans's " Attempt to Account 
for the Infidelity of Edward Gibbon, Esq." Among all the 
numerous volumes that Mr. Gibbon read, it does not appear 
that he ever perused any able defence, or judicious explica- 
tion of the Christian religion. — Consult his Memoirs and | 
Diary written by himself. His conversion and re-conversion 
terminated in Deism ; or rather, perhaps, in a settled 
indifference to all religion. He never more gave himself 
much concern about it. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 49 

contestibly, what a poor creature man is, notwith- 
standing the highest polish he is capable of receiving, 
without the knowledge and experience of those com- 
forts which true religion yields ; and what egregious 
fools all those persons are, who squander away their 

I precious time in what the world, by a strange per- 

* version of language, calls pleasure. 

44 1 have enjoyed," says this finished character, 

jj "all the pleasures of this world, and consequently 

i know their futility, and do not regret their loss. I 
appraise them at their real value, which, in truth, is 

>| very low ; whereas those who have not experienced, 
always over-rate them. They only see their gay 
outside, and are dazzled with their glare —but I have 

j been behind the scenes. It is a common notion, and, 

I like many common ones, a very false one, that those 
who have led a life of pleasure and business can 
never be easy in retirement; whereas I am persuaded 
that they are the only people who can, if they have 
any sense and reflection. They can look back oculo 

I irretorto (without an evil eye) upon what they from 
knowledge despise; others have always a hanker- 
ing after what they are not acquainted with. I 
look upon all that has passed as one of those roman- 
tic dreams which opium commonly occasions ; and I 
do by no means desire to repeat the nauseous dose 
for the sake of the fugitive dream. When I say that 
I have no regret, I do not mean that I have no re- 
morse; for a life either of business, or still more, of 
pleasure, never was, and never will be, a state of in- 
nocence. But God, who knows the strength of 
human passions, and the weakness of human reason, 
will, it is to be hoped, rather mercifully pardon, than 
justly punish, acknowledged errors. I have been as 

| wicked and as vain, though not so wise, as Solomon : 
but am now at last wise enough to feel and attest the 

| truth of his reflection — that all is vanity and vexa- 
tion of spirit. This truth is never sufficiently disco- 

! vered or felt by mere speculation ! experience in thi* 

D 




50 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

case is necessary for conviction, though perhaps at 
the expense of some morality. 

" My health is always bad, though sometimes better 
and sometimes worse; and my deafness deprives me 
of the comforts of society, which other people have 
in their illnesses. This, you must allow, is an unfor- - 
tunate latter end of my life, and consequently a tire- 
some one ; but I must own, too, that it is a sort of 
balance to the tumultuous and imaginary pleasures 
of the former part of it. I consider my present 
wretched old age as a just compensation for the 
follies, not to say sins, of my youth. At the same 
time I am thankful that I feel none of those torturing 
ills which frequently attend the last stage of life ; 
and I flatter myself that I shall go off quietly — but I 
am sure with resignation. My stay in this world 
cannot pje long : God, who placed me here, only 
knows when he will order me out of it ; but whenever 
he does, I shall willingly obey his commands. I wait 
for it, imploring the mercy of my Creator, and de- , 
precating his justice. The best of us must trust in ' | 
the former and dread the latter. 

" I think I am not afraid of my journey's end ; but 
will not answer for myself when the object draws '! 
very near, and is very sure. For when one does see ' j 
death near, let the best or the worst people say what 
they please, it is a serious consideration. This 
divine attribute of mercy, which gives us comfort, 
cannot make us forget, nor ought it, the attribute of k 
justice, which must blend some fears with our hope. 

" Life is neither a burden nor a pleasure to me ; ; J 
but a certain degree of enn ui necessarily at tends that 
neutral state, which makes me very willing to part , 
with it, when He who placed me here thinks fit to i t. 
call me away. When I reflect, however, upon the ! f 
poor remainder of my life, I look upon it as a burden : 
that must every day grow heavier and heavier, from | 
the natural progression of physical ills, the usual J 
companions of increasing years. My reason tells me '. 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 51 

that I should wish for the end of it ; but instinct often 
stronger than reason, and perhaps often in the right, 
makes me take all proper methods to put it off. This 
innate sentiment alone makes me bear life with pa- 
tience for I assure you I have no further hopes, but, 
on the contrary, many fears from it. None of the 
I primitive Anachorites in the Thebais could be more 
| detached from life than I am. I consider it as one 
who is wholly unconcerned in it ; and even when I 
J reflect upon what I have seen, what I have heard, 
j and what I have done myself, I can hardly persuade 
myself that all that frivolous hurry and bustle, and 
pleasure of the world, had any reality ; but they seem 
to have been the dreams of restless nights, This 
| philosophy, however, I thank God, neither makes me 
sour nor melancholy : I see the folly and absurdity of 
mankind without indignation or peevishness. I wish 
them wiser, and consequently better than they are."* 

I * Miscellaneous Works, vol. iii. passim.— The Letters of 
' that celebrated nobleman, which he wrote to his son, con- 
! tain positive evidence that, with all his honours, learning, 
wit, and politeness, he was a thorough bad man, with fa 
i heart full of deceit and uncleanliness. Those Letters have 
been a pest to the young nobility and gentry of this nation. 
It may be questioned whether Rochester's Poems ever did 
more harm. This celebrated nobleman was accounted not 
only the most polite and well-bred man, but the greatest 
wit of his time. Various jeux d'esprit are accordingly 
handed about, as having proceeded from him on different 
occasions. The two following, which contain an allusion 
to the Sacred Writings, I will take the liberty of presenting 
I to the reader : — Chesterfield being invited to dine with the 
Spanish ambassador, met the minister of France, and some 
others. After dinner, the Spaniard proposed a toast, and 
begged to give his master under the title of the sun. The 
' French ambassador's turn came next, who gave him his under 
the description of the moon. Lord Chesterfield being asked 
for his, replied, " Your Excellencies have taken from me 
all the greatest luminaries of heaven, and the stars are too 
small for a comparison with my royal master ; I therefore 
beg leave to give your Excellencies, J oshua I" The other 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



! 



This is the life, these are the mortifying acknow- 
ledgments, and this is the poor sneaking end of the 
best bred man of the age ! Not one word about a 
Mediator! He acknowledges, indeed, his frailties; 
but yet in such a way as to extenuate his offences. 
One would suppose he had been an old heathen phi- 1 
losopher, who had never heard of the name of Jesus, 
rather than a penitent Christian, whose life had 
abounded with a variety of vices. 

How little and how poor is man, in his most 
finished estate, without religion ? Let us hear in what 
manner the lively believer in Jesus takes his leave of 
this mortal scene : — " I am now ready to be offered, 
and the time of my departure is at hand. I have 
fought the good fight ; I have finished my course ; I 
have kept the faith; henceforth there is'laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the 
righteous Judge, will give me at that day." 

9. The sad evening before the death of the noble \ 
Altamont, I was with him. No one was there but his 
physician, and an intimate friend whom he loved, and 1 
whom he had ruined. At my coming in he said — 

instance is still more pertinent. The Earl, being at Brussels, 
was waited on by Voltaire, who politely invited him to sup | 

with him and Madame C . His Lordship accepted the 

invitation. The conversation happening to turn upon the 

affairs of England, " I think, my Lord," said Madame C , 

" that the Parliament of England consist of five or six 
hundred of the best informed and most sensible men in the 
kingdom." — " True, Madam, they are generally supposed to 
be so." — " "What then, my Lord, can be the reason that they 
tolerate so great an absurdity as the Christian religion ?" — 
" I suppose, Madam," replied his Lordship, " it is because 
they have not been able to substitute any thing better in its 
stead ; when they can, I don't doubt but in their wisdom 
they will readily accept it." To have entered into a serious 
defence of the Gospel of Christ, with such a pert and flippant ! 1 
lady, would have been the height of folly ; but such an 
answer as this was better calculated to silence her, than a 
thousand demonstrations, which she would neither have : 
been able nor willing to understand. 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 53 

"You and the physician are come too late—I have 
neither life nor hope. You both aim at miracles — 
you would raise the dead !" 

Heaven, I said, was merciful. — 

" Or I could not have been thus guilty. What has 
it not done to bless and to save me ? — I have been too 
strong for Omnipotence ! I plucked down ruin!" 

I said, the blessed Redeemer — 
| "Hold! hold! you wound me! — This is the rock 
l| on which I split— I denied his name!" 

Refusing to hear any thing from me, or take any 
j thing from the physician, he lay silent, as far as sud- 
den darts of pain would permit, till the clock struck. 
Then with vehemence — 

" Oh, time ! time ! it is fit thou shouldst thus strike 
thy murderer to the heart— How art thou fled for 
ever !— A month ! — Oh, for a single week ! I ask not 
for years ; though an age were too little for the much 
I have to do." 

On my saying we could not do too much— that 
heaven was a blessed place — 

"So much the worse. Tis lost, 'tis lost! — 
Heaven is to me the severest part of hell!" 

Soon after I proposed prayer. 

" Pray, you that can. I never prayed— I cannot 
pray — nor need I. Is not heaven on my side already ? 
It closes with my conscience. Its severest strokes 
but second my own." 

His friend being much touched, even to tears, at 
this (who could forbear ? I could not), with a most 
affectionate look he said — 

" Keep those tears for thyself— I have undone thee." 
Don't weep for me. That's cruel.— What can pain 
me more ?"' 

Here his friend, too much affected, would have 
left him. 

" No, stay ; thou still mayesthope. Therefore hear 
me. How madly have I talked ! How madly hast 
thou listened and believed ! But look on my present 



54 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



state as a full answer to thee and to myself. This 
body is all weakness and pain ; but ray soul, as if 
strung up by torment to greater strength and spirit, 
is full powerful to reason — full mighty to suffer. And 
that which thus triumphs within the jaws of mor- 
tality, is, doubtless, immortal. And as for a Deity, ' 
nothing less than an Almighty could inflict what I 
feel." 

I was about to congratulate this passive, involun- 
tary confessor, on his asserting the two prime arti- 
cles of his creed, extorted by the rack of nature, 
when he said thus, very passionately — 

" JNfo,no ! let me speak on — I have not long to speak. 
My much injured friend, my soul, as my body, lies in 
ruins ; in scattered fragments of broken thought : 
remorse for the past throws my thoughts on the 
future. Worse dread of the future strikes it back on 
the past. I turn, and turn, and find no ray. Didst 
thou feel half the mountain that is on me, thou 
wouldst struggle with the martyr for his stake, and 
bless heaven for the flames : — that is not an ever- 
lasting flame ; that is not an unquenchable fire !" 

How were we struck ! Yet, soon after, still more. 
With what an eye of distraction, what a face of de- 
spair, he cried out — " My principles have poisoned 1 
my friend ; my extravagance has beggared my boy ; 
my unkind ness has murdered my wife ! And is there 
another hell? Oh! thou blasphemed, yet most in- 
dulgent, Lord God ! Hell itself is a refuge, if it hides 
me from thy frown." 

Soon after, his understanding failed. His terrified 
imagination uttered horrors not to be repeated, or 
ever forgotten. And, ere the sun arose, the gay, 
youn°r, noble, ingenuous, accomplished, and most 
wretched Altamont expired.* 

It is not easy for imagination itself to form a more 
affecting representation of a death-bed scene, than 
that of this noble youth. 

* See Young's " Centaur not Fabulous." 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



55 



10. "Sir,— " I was not long since called to visita poor 
gentleman, erewhile of the most robust body, and of 
the gayest temper I ever knew. But when I visited 
him, Oh! how was the glory departed from him! I 
found him no more that sprightly and vivacious son 
of joy which he used to be ; but languishing, pining 
away, and withering under the chastening hand of 
God. His limbs feeble aad trembling ; his counte- 
nance forlorn and ghastly; and the little breath he had 
left sobbed out in sorrowful sighs ! His body hasten- 
ing apace to the dust, to lodge in the silent grave, 
the land of darkness and desolation. His soul just 
going to God who gave it; preparing itself to 
wing away unto its long home; to enter upon an un- 
changeable and eternal state. When I was come up 
into his chamber, and had seated myself on his bed, 
he first cast a most wishful look at me, and then 
began, as well as he was able, to speak — " Oh ! that 
I had been wise, that I had known this, that I had 

considered my latter end ! Ah ! Mr. , death is 

knocking at my door: in a few hours more I shall 
draw my last gasp ; and then judgment, the tremen- 
dous judgment! how shall I appear, unprepared as I 
am, before the all-knowing and omnipotent God ! 
How shall I endure the day of his coming?" When 
I mentioned, among many other things, that strict 
holiness which he had formerly so slightly esteemed, 
he replied, with a hasty eagerness, fi Oh ! that holi- 
ness is the only thing I now long for. I have no 
words to tell you how highly I value it. I would 
gladly part with all my estate, large as it is, or a 
world, to obtain it. Now, my benighted eyes are 
enlightened, I clearly discern the things that are ex- 
cellent. What is there in the place whither I am 
going but God?— Or what is there to be desired on 
earth but religion ?" But if this God should restore 
you to health, said I, think you that you should alter 
your former courses ? " I call heaven and earth to 
witness,'' said he, " I would labour for holiness, as I 



56 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



shall soon labour for life. As for riches and pleasures, 
and the applauses of men. I account them as dross 
and dung, no more to my happiness than the feathers 
that lie on the floor. Oh! if the righteous Judge 
would try me once more ! if he would butj reprieve 
and spare me a little longer ! in what a spirit would 
I spend the remainder of my days ! I would know no 
other business, aim at no other end, than perfecting 
myself in holiness. Whatever contributed to that, 
every means of grace, every opportunity of spiritual 
improvement, should be dearer to me than thousands 
of gold and silver. But, alas ! why do I amuse my- 
self with fond imaginations? The best resolutions 
are now insignificant, because they are too late. The 
day in which I should have worked is over and gone, 
and I see a sad horrible night approaching, bringing 
with it the blackness of darkness for ever. Hereto- 
fore, woe is me ! When God called, I refused ; when 
he invited, I was one of them that made excuse. 
Now therefore, I receive the reward of my deeds ; 
tearfulness and trembling are come upon me; I smart, 
and am in sore anguish already ; and yet this is but 
the beginning of sorrows! It doth not yet appear 
what I shall be ; but sure I shall be ruined, undone, 
and destroyed with an everlasting destruction!" 

This sad scene I saw with mine eyes; these words, 
and many more equally affecting, I heard with mine 
ears ; and soon after attended the unhappy gentle- 
man to his tomb.* 

* Extract of a letter from Mr. Hervey to Beau Nash, Esq., 
of Bath. If the stings, lashes, twinges, and scorpions of a 
guilty conscience are so horrible while we continue in the 
body, what must they be when we are dislodged by death, 
and find that our damnation is sealed by the Judge Supreme ? 
Let the lost soul in Shakspeare speak some little of future 
woe : — 

"But that I am forbid 

To tell the secrets of my prison-house, 

I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word 

Would harrow up thy soul ; freeze thy warm blood ! 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



57 



j| 11. Mr. Cumberland, in the " Observer," "gives us 
! one of the most mournful tales that was ever related 
j concerning a gentleman of Infidel principles, whom 
J he denominates Antitheus. " I remember him," 
jj says he, " in the height of his fame, the hero of his 
j party; no man so caressed, followed, and applauded. 
, He was a little loose, his friends would own, in his 
j moral character, but then he was the most honest 
I fellow in the world. It was not to be denied that he 
i| was rather free in his notions, but then he was the 
!' best creature living. I have seen men of the gravest 
J characters wink at his sallies, because he was so 
pleasant and so well bred, it was impossible to be 
angry with him. Every thing went well with him, 
I and Antitheus seemed to be at the summit of human 
prosperity, when he was suddenly seized with the 
most alarming symptoms. He was at his country 
house, and (which had rarely happened to him) he at 
that time chanced to be alone. Wife or family he 
■ had none ; and out of the multitude of his friends, no 
' one happened to be near him at the time of his attack. 
A neighbouring physician was called out of bed in 
the night, to come to him with all haste in his ex- 
tremity. He found, him sitting up in his bed, sup- 
ported by pillows, his countenance full of horror, his 
breath struggling as in the article of death, his pulse 
intermitting, and at times beating with such rapi- 
dity as could hardly be counted. Antitheus dis- 
missed the attendants he had about him, and eagerly 
demanded of the physician if he thought him in dan- 
ger. The physician answered that he must fairly 
tell him he was in imminent danger. 6( How so ! 
how so ! do you think me dying ?" He was sorry to 

Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres ; 

Thy knotted and combined locks to part, 

And each particular hair to stand on end 

Like quills upon the fretful porcupine ; 

But this eternal blazon must not be 

To ears of flesh and blood." 



58 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

say the symptoms indicated death. " Impossible ! 
you must not let me die : O ! doctor, save me if you 
can." Your situation, Sir, is such, that it is not in 
mine, or any other man's art, to save you ; and I 
think I should not do my duty if I give you any 
false hope in these moments, which, if I am not mis- 
taken, will not more than suffice to settle any worldly 
or other concerns which you may have upon your j 
mind. " My mind is full of horror;" cried the dying 
man," and I am incapable of preparing it for death." 
He now fell into an agony, accompanied with a 
shower of tears : a cordial was administered, and he 
revived in a degree ; when, turning to the physician, 
who had his fingers upon his pulse, he eagerly de- 
manded of him if he did not see that blood upon the 
feet curtains of his bed. There was none to be seen ; 
the physician assured him it was nothing but the 
vapour of his fancy. " I see it plainly," said Anti- 
theus, "in the shape of a human hand : I have been 
visited with a tremendous apparition. As I was 
lying sleepless in my bed this night, I took up a 
letter of a deceased friend to dissipate certain thoughts 
which made me uneasy. I believed him to be a great 
philosopher, and was converted to his opinions. 
Persuaded by his arguments, and my own experience, I 
that the disorderly affairs of this evil world could not 
be administered by any wise, just, or provident being, 
I had brought myself to think no such being could 
exist ; and that a life, produced by chance, must 
terminate in annihilation. This is the reasoning of 
that letter, and such were the thoughts I was" re- 
volving in my mind, when the apparition of my dear 
friend presented itself before me, and, unfolding the 
curtains of my bed, stood at my feet, looking earnestly 
upon me for a considerable space of time. My heart 
sunk within me, for the face was ghastly, full of hor- 
ror, with an expression of such anguish as I can never 
describe. His eyes were fixed upon me, and at 
length, with a mournful motion of his head — ' Alas ! 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



50 



j alas !' he cried, e we are in a fatal error!' and taking 
| hold of the curtains with his hands, shook them vio- 
! lently, and disappeared.— This, I protest to you, I 
, both saw and heard; and look! where the print of 
j his hand is left in blood upon the curtains !" 
j Antitheus survived the relation of this vision a very 
| few hours, and died delirious, in great agonies. What 
j a forsaken and disconsolate creature is man without 
j his God and Saviour ! 

I| 12. Rousseau has the honour of the second place 
f in the French Pantheon. He was born at Geneva, 
i| and at a proper age was bound an apprentice to an 
artist. During his apprenticeship he frequently rob- 
bed his master, as well as other persons. Before his 
time was expired he decamped, and fled into the do- 
minions of the king of Sardinia, where he changed 
his religion, and became a Catholic. By an unex- 
pected turn of fortune he became a footman, in which 
capacity he forgot not his old habit of stealing. He 
is detected with the stolen goods ; swears they were 
| given him by a maidservant of the house. The girl, 
I being confronted with him, denies the fact, and, 
weeping, presses him to confess the truth ; but the 
young philosopher still persists in the lie, and the 
poor girl is driven from her place in disgrace. 

Tired of being a servant man, he went to throw 
himself on the protection of a lady, whom he had 
seen once before, and who, he protests, was the most 
virtuous creature of her sex. The lady had so great 
a regard for him, that she called him her little dar- 
ling, and he called her mamma. Mamma had a 
i footman, who served her, besides, in another capacity, 
very much resembling that of a husband. But she 
had a most tender affection for her adopted son, 
Rousseau; and, as she feared he was forming con- 
nections with a certain lady who might spoil his 
morals, she herself, out of pure virtue, took him— to 
bed with her ! This virtuous effort to preserve the 
purity of Rousseau's heart, had a dreadful effect 



60 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



on the poor footman, and so he poisoned himself. : i 
Rousseau fell sick, and mamma was obliged to part, 
with little darling, while he performed a journey to 1 
the south of France for the recovery of his health. 1 \ 
On the road he dines with a gentleman, and lies 1 
with his wife. As he was returning back, he debated | I 
with himself whether he should pay this lady a 
second visit or not; but, fearing he might be tempted I 
to seduce her daughter also, virtue got the better, 
and determined the little darling to fly home into the 
arms of Iris mamma; but, alas! those arms were 
filled with another. Mamma's virtue had prompted 
her to take a substitute, whom she liked too well to 
part with, and cur philosopher was obliged to shift 
for himself. The reader should be told that the little 
darling, while he resided with his mamma, went to 
make a tour with a young musician. Their friend- 
ship was warm, like that of most young men, and 
they were besides enjoined to take particular care of 
each other during their travels. They went on for 
some time together, agreed perfectly well, and vowed I 
an everlasting friendship for each other. But the i 
musician, being one day taken in a fit, fell down in 
the street, which furnished the faithful Rousseau 1 
with an opportunity of slipping off with some of his I 
things, and leaving him to the mercy of the people, 
in a town where he was a total stranger. 

We never met with so much villainy as this in a 
youth. His manhood, however, was worthy of it. , 
He turned apostate a second time, was driven from 
within the walls of his native city of Geneva as an 
incendiary, and an apostal of anarchy and infidelity ; 
nor did he forget how to thieve. At last the philoso- 
pher marries ;'but like a philosopher — that is, with- 
out going to church. He had a family of children ; 
and, like a kind, philosophical father, for fear they 
should want after his death, he sends them to the 
poor-house during his life-time! To conclude, the 
philosopher dies, and leaves the philosopheress, his 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



01 



wife, to the protection of a friend ; she marries a 
footman, and gets turned into the street. 

This vile wretch has the impudence to say, in the 
work written by himself, which contains a confession 
of these his crimes, that no man can come to the 
throne of God and say, I am a better man than 
Rousseau.* 



Notwithstanding the above unworthy circum- 
ji stances, it must be owned that Rousseau's writings 
i| have great literary merit, but then they contain prin- 
ciples which might be expected from such a person, 
j He has exhausted all the powers of reasoning, and 
all the charms of eloquence, in the cause of anarchy 
and irreligion. And his writings are so much the 
I more dangerous, as he winds himself into favour with 
| the unwary by an eternal cant about virtue and liberty. 
He seems to have assumed the mask of virtue for no 
other purpose than that of propagating, with more 
certain success, the blackest and most incorrigible 
vice. 

' This was the man and the writer whom the Con- 
stituent Assembly held up to the imitation, and even 
adoration of the poor deluded French populace. He 
and Voltaire, who never could agree in life, are placed 
by each other's side in death, and made the standard 
of French principles and religion to all future gene- 
rations. 

We have seen how Voltaire terminated his earthly 
career ; we shall find Rousseau expiring with a lie in 

: his mouth, and the most impious appeal to the Divine 

; Being, that was ever made by mortal man. 

! "Ah! my dear/' said he to his wife, or mistress, 
just before he expired, " how happy a thing it is to 
die, when one has no reason for remorse or self- 

|| reproach!" And then, addressing himself to the 
Almighty, he said, " Eternal Being ! the soul that I 

* The above account of this strange man is taken from 
his own " Confessions," Peter Porcupine's " Bloody Buoy," 
and the accounts published at his death. 



62 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



am going to give thee back is as pure at this moment 
as it was when it proceeded from thee : render it 
partaker of thy felicity 7 ." 

These twelve examples are such as to give but 
little encouragement to any person, who has a proper 
concern for his own welfare, to embark, either in the 
atheistic or deistic schemes. In those cases where 
conscience was awake, the unhappy men were filled 
with anguish and amazement inexpressible. And in 
those cases where conscience seemed to be asleep, 
there appears nothing enviable in their situation, 
even upon their own supposition that there is no 
after reckoning. If to die like an ass be a privilege, 
I give them joy of it! much good may it do them! 
May I die like a Christian, having a hope blooming 
with immortal expectations! 

Let us turn from these horrible instances of per- 
verted reason, and take a view of some more promising 
scenes. 



II.— EXAMPLES OF PERSONS RECOVERED 
FROM THEIR INFIDELITY. 

" If, sick of folly, I relent, he writes 
My name in heaven." 

13. Charles Gildon, author of a book called the 
" Oracles of Reason," was convinced of the fallacy of 
his own arguments against religion, and the danger 
of his situation by reading Leslie's " Short Method 
with a Deist." He afterwards wrote a defence of 
revealed religion, entitled " The Deist's Manual," 
and died in the Christian faith. 

14. The late Lord Littleton , author of the " History 
of Henry the Second," and his friend Gilbert West, 
Esq. had both imbibed the principles of unbelief, and 
had agreed together to write something in favour of 
infidelity. To do this more effectually, they judged 
it necessary, first to acquaint themselves pretty well 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 63 

j| with the contents of the Bible. By the perusal of 

,| that book, however, they were both convinced of 

j ; their error • both became converts to the religion of 

, Jesus Christ : both took up their pens and wrote in 

: favour of it ;* the former, his " Observations on the 

! * Athenagoras, a famous Athenian philosopher in the 
; | second century, had entertained so unfavourable an opinion 
i! of the Christian religion, that he was determined to write 
j! against it ; but upon an intimate inquiry into the facts on 
Ij which it was supported, in the course of his collecting ma- 
I 1 terials for his intended publication, he was convinced by 
'i the blaze of evidence in its favour, and turned his designed 
| invective into an elaborate apology, which is still in being. 
The above Mr. West, writing to Dr. Doddridge on the pub- 
lication of his " Memoirs of Colonel Gardiner," ascribes his 
| own conversion from a state of Infidelity, into which he had 
i been seduced, to the care his mother had taken in his edu- 
cation. " I cannot help taking notice," says he, " of your 
remarks upon the advantage of an early education in 
the principles of religion, because I most happily ex- 
perienced it ; since I owe, to the early care of a most 
j excellent woman, my mother, that bent and bias to 
' religion, which, with the co-operating grace of God, hath 
I at length brought me back to those paths of peace from 
whence I might have otherwise been in danger of deviating 
for ever!" Dr. Johnson tells us, that "Lord Littleton, in 
the pride of juvenile confidence, with the help of corrupt 
conversation, entertained doubts of the truth of Christianity : 
but he thought afterwards it was no longer fit to doubt, or 
believe by chance, and therefore applied himself seriously 
to the great question. His studies being honest, ended in 
) conviction. He found that religion was true, and what he 
had learned he endeavoured to teach, by ' Observations on 
the Conversion of St. Paul,' a treatise to which Infidelity 
t has never been able to fabricate a specious answer." Two 
days previous to his dissolution, this great and good man 
addressed his physician in these memorable words, " Doctor, 
you shall be my confessor. When I first set out in the 
world, I had friends who endeavoured to shake my belief 
; in the Christian religion. I saw difficulties which staggered 
j me, but I kept my mind open to conviction. The evidences 
1 and doctrines of Christianity, studied with attention, made 
me a most firm and persuaded believer of the Christian re- 
ligion. I have made it the rule of my life, and— it is the 



64 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

Conversion of St. Paul," the latter, his " Observations 
on the Resurrection," and both died in peace. 

15. Sir John Pringle, one of the first characters 
of the present age, though blessed with a religious 
education, contracted the principles of infidelity 
when he came to travel abroad in the world. But 
as he scorned to be an implicit believer, he was 
equally adverse to being an implicit unbeliever. He 
therefore set himself to examine the principles of the 
Gospel of Christ with all caution and seriousness. 
The result of his investigation was, a full conviction 

ground of my future hopes/' The conversion of the Rev 
J ohn Newton, late Rector of St. Mary Woolnooth, in Lon- 
don, is also extremely remarkable. He was born of religious 
parents, and brought up in his younger years in a religious 
manner. The impressions of this kind seemed to be strong 
and deep. At length, however, the admonitions of conscience, 
which, from successive repulses, had grown weaker and 
w aker, entirely ceased ; he commenced Infidel; and for 
the space of many months, if not for some years, does not 
recollect that he had a single check of that sort. At times 
he was visited with sickness, and believed himself near to 
death ; but he had not, like Mr. Paine in the same situa- 
tion, the least concern about the consequences. He seemed 
to have eveiy mark of final impenitence and rejection ; 
neither judgments nor mercies e made the least impression i 
on him. In this unhappy condition he continued a number 
of years, all the time improving himself, under very unpro- 
pitious circumstances, in classical and mathematical learn- 
ing. At the age of about twenty-three or twenty-four, how- 
ever, it pleased God to call him by his grace " out of dark- 
ness" and delusion " into his marvellous light," and, in due 
time, into " the glorious liberty of the children of God." 
He lived for many years under the power and influence of 
religion, and was an eminent instrument of good to many 
thousands of souls by his preaching and writings. It is 
remarkable, that in this case also a religious education 
seemed to be the most remote means of his conversion, after ! ( 
all his wandering from the path of duty. An account may j 
be seen at large, in his " Letters to the Rev. Dr. Haweis," 
of this very extraordinary business. The narrative is at the | ! 
same time useful and entertaining. See also Newton's Life, 1 
by Cecil. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 65 



of the divine origin and authority of the Gospel, 
j The evidence of Revelation appeared to him to be 
solid and invincible; and the nature of it to be such 
j as demanded his warmest acceptance. 

10. Soame Jenyngs, Esq., Member of Parliament 
j for Cambridge, by some means had been warped 
aside into the paths of infidelity, and continued in 
I this state of mind several years. Finding his spirit, 
j however, not at rest, he was induced to examine the 
grounds upon which his unbelief was founded. He 
i' discovered his error, was led to believe in the Saviour 
j of mankind; and wrote a small treatise in defence of 
1 the gospel, entitled, " A View of the internal Evi- 
dences of Christianity a work worthy the perusal of 
every man who wishes to understand the excellency 
I of the religion he professes. 

17. Doctor Oliver, a noted physician at Bath, was 
a zealous unbeliever till within a short time of his 
death. Being convinced of his error, and the danger 
of his situation, he bewailed his past conduct with 

I strong compunction of heart, and gave up his spirit 
at last, in confident expectation of mercy from God, 
through the merit of that Saviour, whom, for many 
years, he had ridiculed and opposed. " Oh \" said he , 
" that I could undo the mischief which I have done ! 
I was more ardent to poison people with the princi- 
ples of irreligion and unbelief than almost any Chris- 
tian can be to spread the doctrines of Christ." 

18. General Dykern received a mortal wound at 
the battie of Bergen, in Germany, A. D. 1759. He 
was of a noble family, and possessed equal abilities as 
a minister in the closet, and a general in the field, 
being favoured with a liberal education. Having 
imbibed the principles of infidelity, by some means or 
other, he continued a professed Deist, till the time 
he received his fatal wound. During his illness, how- 
ever, a great and effectual change was wrought upon 
his mind by the power of divine grace, and he died in 
the full assurance of faith, glorying in the salvation 

_ E 



CO 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



of Jesus, and wondering at the happy change which 
had taken place in his soul !* 

19. John, Earl of Rochester, was a great man every 
way : a great wit, a great scholar, "a great, poet, a 
great sinner, and a great penitent. His life was 
written by Bishop Burnet, and his funeral sermon 
was preached and published by Mr. Parsons. Dr. 
Johnson, speaking of Burnet's life of this nobleman, 
says, u The critic ought to read it for its elegance, 
the philosopher for its argument, and the saint, for 
its piety." 

His lordship, it appears, had advanced to an un- 
common height of wickedness, having been an advo- 
cate in the black cause of atheism, and an encomiast 
of Beelzebub. He had raked too in the very bottom 
of the lakes of debauchery, and had been a satirist 
against religion itself. But when, like the prodigal 
in the Gospel, he came to himself, his mind was filled 
with the most extreme horror, which forced sharp 
and bitter invectives from him against himself— 
terming himself the vilest wretch on whom the sun 
ever shone— wishing he had been a crawling leper in 
a ditch, a link-boy, or a beggar, or had lived in a dun- 
geon, rather than have offended God in the manner 
he had done. 

Upon the first visit of Mr. Parsons to him on May 
26th, lb'80, after a journey from the west, he found 
him labouring under great trouble of mind, and his 
conscience full of terror. The earl told him — " When 
on his journey, he had been arguing with greater vi- 
gour against 'God and religion than ever he had done 
in his life-time before, and that he had been resolved 
to run them down with all the argument and spite in 
the world ; but like the great convert, St. Paul, he 
found it hard to kick against God." At this time, 
however, his heart was so powerfully affected, that 
lie argued as much for God and religion as ever he 

* See this extraordinary case more at large in De Coetlo- 
gon ? s " Divine Treasury," p. 17. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



6? 



had done against them. He had such tremendous 
apprehensions of the Divine Majesty, mingled with 
such delightful contemplations of his nature and per- 
fections, and of the amiableness of religion, that he 
said— " I never was advanced thus far towards hap- 
piness in my life before ; though, upon the commis- 
sion of some extraordinary sins, I have had some 
considerable checks and warnings from within; but 
still I struggled with them, and so wore them off 
again. One day, at an atheistical meeting in the 
house of a person of quality, I undertook to manage 
the cause, and was the principal disputant against 
God and religion, and for my performances received 
the applauses of the whole company. Upon this my 
mind was terribly struck, and I immediately replied 
thus to myself : Good God, that a man who walks 
upright, who sees the wonderful works of God, and 
has the use of his senses and reason, shoulduse them 
to the defying of his Creator!' — But though this was 
a good beginning towards my conversion to find my 
conscience touched for my sins, yet it went ofFagain; 
nay, all my life long I had a secret value and reverence 
for an honest man, and loved morality in others. But 
I had formed an odd scheme of religion to myself, 
which would solve all that God or conscience might 
force upon me : yet T was never well reconciled to the 
business of Christianity, nor had I that reverence for 
the Gospel of Christ which I ought to have had." 

This state of mind continued till the fifty-third 
chapter of Isaiah, was read to him, together with some 
other parts of the Sacred Scriptures, when it pleased 
God to fill his mind with such peace and joy in be- 
lieving, that it was remarkable to all about him. 
Afterwards he frequently desired those who were with 
him to read the same chapter to him ; upon which 
he used to enlarge in a very familiar and affectionate 
manner, applying the whole to his own humiliation 
and encouragement. 

u O blessed God," he would say, " can such a hor- 
e 2 



08 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



rid creature as I am be accepted by thee, who have 
denied tliy being, and contemned thy power ? Can 
there be mercy and pardon for me ? ' Will God own 
such a wretch as I am ?" 

In the middle of his sickness he said still farther : 
— " Shall the unspeakable joys of heaven be confer- 
red on me ? O, mighty Saviour, never but through 
thine infinite love and satisfaction! O never but by 
the purchase of thy blood!" adding — "that with all 
abhorrence he reflected upon his former life — that 
from his heart he repented of all that foil}' and mad- 
ness of which he had been guilty. " 

He had a strong and growing esteem for the Sacred 
Scriptures, and evidently saw their divine fulness and 
excellency : — " For, having spoken to his heart, he 
acknowledged that all the seeming absurdities and 
contradictions fancied by men of corrupt and repro- 
bate judgments were vanished ; and the excellency 
and beauty of them appeared conspicuously, nowthat 
he was come to receive the truth in the love of it." 

During his illness he had a heartv concern for the 
pious education of his children, wishing " that his son 
might never be a wit, one of those wretched creatures 
who pride themselves in abusing God and religion, 
denying his being or his providence ; but that he 
might become an honest man, and of a truly religious 
character, which could only be the supportand bless- 
ing of his family. 

One of his companions coming to see him on his 
death-bed, he said to him—" O remember that you 
contemn God no more. He is an avenging God, and 
will visit you for your sins, and will, I hope, in mercy 
touch your conscience, sooner or later, as he has done 
mine. You and I have been friends and sinners to- 
gether a great while, therefore I am more free with 
you. We have been all mistaken in our conceits and 
opinions; our persuasions have been false and ground- 
less ; therefore I pray God to grant you repentance." 

When he drew towards the last stage of sickness, 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



GO 



I he said, — " If God should spare me yet a little longer 
I time here, I hope to bring glory to his name, propor- 
i tionably to the dishonour I have done to him in my 
' whole past life, and particularly by my endeavours to 
convince others, and to assure them of the danger of 
| their condition, if they continued impenitent; 

and to tell them how graciously God had dealt 
i| with me." 

And when he came within still nearer views of dis- 
lj solution, about three or four days before it, he said, 
" I shall now die, but oh ! what unspeakable glories 
j do I see! What joys, beyond thought or expression, 
am I sensible of !' I am assured of God's mercy to me 
through Jesus Christ ! Oh! how 1 long to die, and 
I to be with my Saviour!" 

For the admonition of others, and to undo, as much 
as was in his power, the mischief of his former con- 
duct, he subscribed the following recantation, and 
ordered it to be published after his death: — 

" For the benefit of all those whom I may have 
| drawn into sin by my example and encouragement, I 
| leave to the world this my last declaration ; which I 
I deliver in the presence of the great God, who knows 
the secrets of ail hearts, and before whom I am now 
appearing to be judged, that from the bottom of my 
soul I detest and abhor the whole course of my former 
wicked life, that I think I can never sufficiently ad- 
mire the goodness of God, who has given me a true 
sense of my pernicious opinions and vile practices, by 
which I have hitherto lived without hope and without 
God in the world • have been an open enemy to Jesus 
Christ, doing the utmost despite to the Holy Spirit 
of grace, and that the greatest testimony* of my 
charity to such is to warn them, in the name of God, 
! as they regard the welfare of their immortal souls, no 
more to deny his being or his providence, or despise 
! his goodness; no more to make a mock of sin, or 
contemn the pure and excellent religion of my ever- 
blessed Redeemer, through whose merits alone, I, 



70 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION" 



one of the greatest of sinners, do yet hope for mercy 
and forgiveness. Amen."* 

20. We have an account of the conversion of 
another determined Deist to the faith of Christ, in 
six letters, from a minister of the reformed church 
abroad, to John Newton, late Rector of St. Mary 
Woolnooth, London. He was born of religious 
parents, was brought up at school and university for 
the ministry, became eminent for his literary attain- 
ments, but lost all his religion, and commenced Deist. 
Proud of his abilities and attainments, and trusting 
solely to his reasoning powers, he disdained to think 
with the vulgar, and was too wise in his own esteem 
to be instructed by Divine Revelation. Butwhilehe 
was unacquainted with God he was guilty of secret 
impurities, and a stranger to peace. Like a ship in 
a storm, without rudder or pilot, he was hurried 
along by tumultuous passions, till he grew weary of 
life. In such a state of soul, and at such a crisis, the 
light of heavenly truth broke in upon his mind. The 
Lord spake, and it was done. The storm was hushed. 
The man was powerfully and unexpectedly changed. 
The servant of sin became the servant of Christ; and 
he now preaches, with energy and success, the faith 
he laboured before to destroy. f 

* The case of Sir Duncomb Colchester, a magistrate In 
the county of Gloucester, towards the close of the seventeenth 
century, was somewhat like this of Rochester. Ke was a 
gentleman of excellent parts, a generous spirit, and un- 
daunted courage. Having, however, spent many years in 
sundry extravagancies, he was at length, by a long and pain- 
ful sickness, brought to a very serious sense of the excellency 
of religion, and of his own great sin and folly in the neglect ' 
and contempt of it. He accordingly, by way of making 
some small reparation for the mischief he had done by his 
wickedness, drew up an address to his friends and the public, 
somewhat like to the above of Rochester, signed by divers 
witnesses, and caused it to be read in two neighbouring 
churches, and spread abroad among all his friends and 
neighbours through the country, as extensively as he was able. 

f Similar to this instance, in some respects, is the case of 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



71 



21 . Captain John Lee, who was executed for forgery, 
March 4, 1784, became an Infidel through reading the 
elegant, but sophistical writings of David Hume. 
Deeply, however, did he repent his folly, when he 
came to be in distressed circumstances. " I leave to 
the world," said he, in a letter to a friend the night 
before his execution, " this mournful memento, that 
however much a man may be favoured by personal 
qualifications, or distinguished by mental endow- 
ments, genius will be useless, and abilities avail but 
little, unless accompanied by a sense of religion, and 
attended by the practice of virtue. ,; 

22. Another gentleman, whose name is concealed 
out of delicacy to his connexions, was descended of a 
noble and religious family. His life was extremely 
irregular and dissolute, but his natural parts and en- 
dowments of mind so extraordinary, that they render- 
ed his conversation agreeable to persons of the highest 
rank and quality. Being taken ill, he believed he 
should die at the very beginning of his sickness. 
His friend, with whom he had frequently disputed 
against the existence of God and the truths of re- 
vealed religion, came to visit him on the second day 
after he was seized. He asked him how he did, and 
what made him so dejected? 

" Alas!" said he, " are you so void of understand- 
ing as to imagine I am afraid to die ? Far be such 
thoughts from me. I could meet death with as much 
courage as I ha ve encountered an enemy in the field 
of battle, and embrace it as freely as I ever did any 

the Rev. Thomas Scott, late Chaplain of the Lock Hospital, 
in London. " I feel myself impelled to declare," says he, 
" that I once was not much more disposed to credit the 
Scriptures than Mr. Paine, and having got rid of the 
shackles of education, was much flattered by my emancipa- 
tion and superior discernment. But twenty years, employed 
in diligently investigating the evidences and contents of the 
Bible, have produced in me an unshaken assurance that it 
is the word of God." — Answer to Paine' s " Age of Reason," 
p. 23. 



72 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



friend whom I sincerely loved ; for I see nothing in 
this world that is worth the pains of keeping:. I 
have made a trial of most states and conditions of 
life. I have continued at home for a considerable 
time, and travelled abroad in foreign parts. I have 
been- rich and poor. I have been raised to honour, 
and revered in a high degree. I have alsobeen exposed 
to scorn and contempt. I have been wise and foolish. 
I have experienced the difference between virtue and 
vice, and every thing that was possible for a man in ray 
station ; so that I am capable of distinguishing what 
is really good and praiseworthy, and what is not. 
Now I see with a clearer sight than ever, and dis- 
cern a vast difference between the vain licentious 
discourse of a libertine, and the sound argument of a 
true believer; for though the former may express 
himself more finely than the latter, so as to puzzle 
him with hard questions and intricate notions, yet all 
amount to no more than the fallacy of a few airy re- 
partees, which are never affected by sober Christians, 
nor capable of eluding the force of solid reason. But 
now I know how to make a distinction between them ; 
and I wish from the bottom of my heart I had been 
so sensible of my error in the time of my health, then 
I had never had those dreadful foretastes of hell 
which I now have. Oh ! what a sad account have I 
to give of a long life spent in sin and folly! I look 
beyond the fears of temporal death. All the dread 
that you perceive in me arises from the near approach 
I make to an eternal death ; for I must die to live to 
all eternity/"' 

This unhappy gentleman continued in this manner 
to bewail his past folly, Atheism and Infidelity, tor 
forty days, and then expired. His friend, however, 
took much pains with him to encourage his repen- 
tance, faith, and a return to a proper state of mind ; 
the particulars of which would be too tedious to re- 
cord in this place. At last, however, he was brought 
to entertain some hope that the Redeemer of man- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



73 



j kind would take pity on his deplorable condition, 
i| pardon his sins, and rescue him from that everlasting 
destruction which awaits all such characters. He 
| told his friend, therefore, that if he departed with a 
jj smile, he might hope for the best concerning him; 
but if he should be seen giving up the ghost with a 
frown, there would be reason "to fear the worst. 
|i This was about three o'clock in the afternoon, and 
ti he lived till four the next morning. A little before 
j| he expired lie was heard to speak these words softly 
to himself—" Oh ! that I had possession of the mean- 
J est place in heaven, and could but creep into one 
corner of it." Afterwards he cried out for several 
times together, "O dear, dear! dear! dear!" and 
near a minute before he expired, his friend, perceiv- 
ing him to look full in his face, with a smiling 

countenance 

There we leave him till the resurrection morn.* 
23. When Count Struensee, Prime Minister of the 
I kingdom of Denmark, had been disgraced and irnpri- 
' soned by his sovereign for certain misdemeanours of 
' which he had been guilty, he was brought from a stale 
; of Infidelity to a serious sense of his situation. He 
then declared, "The more I learn Christianity from 
Scripture, the more I grow convinced how unjust 
! those objections are with which it is charged. I find, 
for instance, that all what Voltaire says of the into- 
lerance of Christians, and of blood-shedding caused 
by Christianity, is a very unjust charge laid upon 
religion. I is easy to be seen', that those cruelties, 

* It is impossible for any man to say with certainty whe- 
ther the change which seems to pass in the human mind, 
upon these melancholy occasions, is real and saving, or only 
: apparent and delusive. We have known various instances, 
j where every symptom of genuine repentance has been exhi- 
bited upon a sick bed, but no sooner has health returned, 
| than they have returned to folly with accelerated speed, ful- 
filling the old Popish distich — 

" When the devil was sick, the devil a monk would be — 
When the devil got well, the devil a monk was he !" 



71 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



said to be caused by religion, if properly considered, 

were the production of human passions, selfishness, 
and ambition, and that religion served in such cases 
only for a cloak. I am fully convinced cf the truth of 
the Christian religion, and I feel its power in quieting I 
my conscience, and in forming my sentiments. I have 
examined it, during a good statu of health, and with 
all the reason I am master of. I tried every argu- 
ment, I felt no fear, I have taken my own time, and 
I have not been in haste. I own with joy I find 
Christianity the more amiable, the more I get acquain- 
ted with it. I never knew it before. 1 believed it 
contradicted reason, and the nature of man, whose 
religion it was designed to be. I thought it an art- 
fully contrived and ambiguous doctrine, full of in- 
comprehensibilities. Whenever I formerly thought 
on religion in some serious moments, I had always 
an idea in my mind how it ought to be, which was, 
it should be simple, and accommodated to the abilities 
of men in every condition. I now find Christianity 
to be exactly so ; it answers entirely to that idea 
which I had formed of true religion. Had I but for- 
merly known it was such, I should not have delayed 
turning Christian till this time of my imprisonment. 
Bat I had the misfortune to be prejudiced against 
religion, first through my own passions, but afterwards 
likewise by so many human inventions, foisted into it, 
of which I could see plainly that they had no foun- 
dation, though they were styled essential parts of 
Christianity. I was offended when God was always 
represented to me as an angry jealous judge, who is 
much pleased when he has an opportunity of showing 
his revenge, though I knew he was love itself; and 
am now convinced, that though he must punish, yet 
he takes no kind of delight in it, and is rather for 
pardoning. From my infancy I have known but few 
Christians who have not scandalized religion by their 
enthusaism and wickedness, which they wanted to 
hide under the cloak of piety. I knew, "indeed, that 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



75 



not all Christians were such, or talked such an affect- 
ed language, but I was too volatile to enquire of 
better Christians after the true spirit of religion. 
Frequently I heard sermons in my youth, but they 
made no impression upon me. That without Christ 
there was no salvation, was the only truth which 
I served for a subject in all sermons; and this was re- 
peated over and over again in synonimous expressions. 
But it was never set in its true light, and never pro- 
perly proved. I saw people cry at church, but after 
their tears were dried up, I found them in their ac- 
tions not in the least better, but rather allowing them- 
selves in every transgression, upon the privilege of 
being faithful believers. He said he observed in St. 
Paul a great genius, much wisdom, and true philo- 
sophy. "The apostles write extremely well, now and 
then inimitably beautiful, and at the same time with 
simplicity and clearness. The Freethinkers extol 
the fables of iEsop, but the parables and narrations of 
Christ will not please them, notwithstanding they 
are derived from a greater knowledge of nature, and 
contain more excellent morality. Besides, they are 
proposed with a more noble and artless simplicity 
than any writings of the kind among ancient or 
modern authors." 

24. Count Brandt, the companion of Struensee in 
guilt and misfortunes, with great freedom owned be- 
fore me and others, that his imprisonment was the 
means of setting his soul at liberty; and he found 
his chains so little troublesome to him, that he would 
oftentimes take them up and kiss them. " For," said 
he, u when I believed myself to be free, I was a 
miserable slave to my passions, and now since I am 
a prisoner, truth and grace have set me at liberty." 
He pitied the miserable condition of those who were 
under the yoke of unbelief and sin, which he himself 
had worn, and kept himself in it by reading deistical 
writings. He mentioned, among the rest, the works 
of Voltaire, to whom he owed very little that was 



76 



A FLEA FOR RELIGION 



good. He said he had spent upon his travels four 
days with this old advocate lor unbelief, and had 
heard nothing from him but what could corrupt the 
heart and sound morals. He was very sorry for ail 
this, but was much pleased that he had founda taste 
for the true Word of God; whose efficacy upon his 
heart, since he read it with a good intention, con- 
vinced him of its divine origin.* 

It is usually said, that example has a more powerful 
effect upon the mind than precept. None can deny 
that these are respectable ones. They are such as 
every Deist and sceptic in the kingdom should well 
consider before he ventures his sahation upon the 
justness of his own principles. If equal danger, or if 
any danger attend our embracing theChristian scheme, 
the unbeliever would be in a certain degree justified 
in withholding his assent to that scheme : but as all 
the hazard is on his side of the question, and none on 
the other, language furnishes no other words to ex- 
press the extreme foliy of treating religion with 
levity, much less with ridicule and contempt. 



III.— EXAMPLES OF DYING CHRISTIANS 
WHO HAD LIVED IN THE SPIRIT OF 
THE WORLD. 

" This shall ye have of My hand ; ye shall lie down in sor- 
row." — Isaiah 1. 11. 

2.0. Hugo Grotius is said to have possessed the 
brightest genius ever recorded of a youth in the learn- 
ed world, and was a profound admirer, and a daily 
reader of the Sacred Writings ; yet, after all his at- 
tainments, reputation, and labour in the cause of 
learning, he was constrained at last to cry out, " Ah ! 
I have consumed my life in a laborious doing of 

* See Dr. Hee's " History of Count Encvold Brandt." 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



77 



nothing! T would give all my learning and honour 
for the plain integrity of John Uricli !" 

This John Urich was a religious poor man, who 
spent ei^ht hours of the day in prayer, eight in labour, 
and but eight in meals, sleep, and other necessaries.* 
Grotius had devoted too much of his time to world- 
ly company, secular business, and learned trifles ; too 
j little to theexercise of thecloset. " This is forsaking 
the fountain of living waters, and hewing out to 
jj ourselves broken cisterns, that can hold no water." 

26. When Salmasius, who was one of the most 
| consummate scholars of his time, came to the close 

of life, he saw cause to exclaim bitterly against him- 
self. " Oh!" said he, " I have lost a world of time ! 
time, the most precious thing in the world ! whereof 
had I but one year more, it should be spent in David's 
6 Psalms,' and Paul's ' Epistles !' Oh ! Sirs," said he 
again to those about him, " mind the world less, and 
God more!" 

27. Dr. Samuel Johnson, t whose death made such 
a noise a few years ago, was unquestionably one of 
the first men of the a^e, and a serious believer in 
Jesus Christ for many years before his death. Mix- 
ing, however, too much with men of no religion, his 
mind was kept barren of spiritual consolation, and 
he was grievously haunted with the fVar of death 
through his whole life. " The approach of death," 
said he to a friend, " is very dreadful. I am afraid 
to think on that which I know I cannot avoid. It 
is vain to look round and round for that help 
which cannot be had. Yet we hope and hope, and 

* Alfred the Great, King of England, who fought fifty-six 
battles with the Danes, many of which were gained by his 
own personal courage and great example, dedicated, with 
strict punctuality, eight hours every day to acts of devotion, 
eight hours to public affairs, and as many to sleep, study, 
and necessary refreshment. 

+ Dr. Johnson's "Life," by Bosswell, appears to me one 
of the most entertaining narratives in the English language. 



78 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

fancy that he who has lived to-day may live to-mor- 
row." To another friend he said, " He never had a 
moment in which death was not terrible to him." On 
another occasion he declared in company, at Oxford, 
" I am afraid I shall be one of those who shall be 
damned— sent to hell, and punished everlastingly." 
When this great man, however, actually approached 
dissolution, " all his tears were calmed and absorbed 
by the prevalence of his faith, and his trust in the 
merits and propitiation of Jesus Christ." He was 
full of resignation, strong in faith, joyful in hope of 
his own salvation, and anxious for the salvation of 
his friends. He particularly exhorted Sir Joshua 
Reynolds, on his dying bed, " to read the Bible, and 
to keep holy the Sabbath-day." The last words he 
was heard to speak were, " God bless you !" 

28. Baron Haller, a famous Swiss physician, tha 
delight and ornament of his country, was at the same 
time a great philosopher, a profound politician, an 
agreeable poet, and more particularly famous for his 
skill in botany, anatomy, and physic. Daring his ' 
last sickness he had the honour of a visit from Joseph, 
the late Emperor of Germany. Upon his death-bed, 
owing, probably, to the variety of his literary pur- 
suits, the multiplicity of his engagements, and the ! 
honours heaped upon him by the world, he went 
through sore conflicts of spirit, concerning his inte- 
rest in the salvation of the Redeemer. His mind 
was clouded, and his soul destitute of comfort. In 
his last moments, however, he expressed renewed 
confidence in God's mercy through Christ, and left 
the world in peace. 

29. Sir John Mnson, on his death-bed, spoke to 
those about him in the manner following : — " I have 
lived to see five princes, and have been privy-coun- 
sellor to four of them. I have seen the most remark- 
able things in foreign parts, and have been present 
at most state transactions for thirty years together; 
and I have learnt this after so many years experi- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 79 

j enee — that seriousness is the greatest wisdom, tem- 
perance the best physic, and a good conscience the 
j best estate. And, were I to live again, I would 
ij change the court for a cloister ; my privy counsellor's 
j bustle for a hermit's retirement ; and the whole life 
I I have lived in the palace, for an hour's enjoyment of 
i God in the chapel.* 

ij 30. Philip the Third, King of Spain, when he drew 
near the end of his days, expressed his deep regret 
for a careless and worldly life in the following em- 

I phatic words :— " Ah ! how happy would it have been 
for me had I spent these twenty-three years that I 

I have held my kingdom in retirement!" 

j 31. Cardinal Mazarine, one of the greatest states- 

* James, Earl of Marlborough, who was killed in a battle 
at sea, on the coast of Holland, A.D. 1665, having a kind of 
presentiment of his own death, wrote to his friend Sir Hugh 
; Pollard, a letter, of which the following is an extract :— " I 
| will not speak aught of the vanity of this world ; your own 
I age and experience will save that labour ; but there is a 
| certain thing that goeth up and down the world called 
i Religion, dressed and pretended fantastically, and to pur- 
1 poses bad enough, which yet by such evil dealing loseth not 
| its being. Moreover, God in his infinite mercy hath given 
us his Holy Word, in which, as there are many things hard 
to be understood, so there is enough plain and easy to quiet 
our minds, and direct us concerning our future being. I 
confess to God and you I have been a great neglector, and 
I fear, despiser of it. God, of his infinite mercy, pardon 
me the dreadful fault. But when I retired myself from the 
noise and deceitful vanity of the world, I found no comfort 
in any other resolution than that which I have had from 
thence. I commend, from the bottom of my heart, the 
| same to your happy use. Dear Sir Hugh, let us be more 
generous than to believe that we die as the beasts that 
perish ; but with a Christian, manly, brave resolution, look 
to what is eternal. I will not trouble you further. Show 
this letter to my friends, and to whom you please. The 
j only great God, and holy God, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, direct you to a happy end of your life, and send us 
a joyful resurrection,— So prays your true friend, 

" Marlbokough " 



80 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



men in Europe, cried out, a little before his death, 
with astonishment and terror, " Oh ! my poor soul ! 
what will become of thee? Whither wilt thou go? 
Were I to live again, I would be a capuchin rather 
than a courtier." 

32. George Vffliers, the younger, Duke of Buck- 
ingham, was the richest man, and one of the greatest 
wits in the court of Charles IT. ; and yet such were 
his vices and extravagancies, that, before he died, he 
was reduced to poverty, and general contempt. In 
this situation, howeverj he seems to have been brought 
to a sense of his folly, and the danger of his condition, 
from the letter which he wrote to Dr. Barlow, of 
whom he had a high opinion,* on his death-bed, and 
which is well worth the attention of every man of 
pleasure and dissipation : — 

" Dear Doctor, — I always looked upon ycu as 
a man of true virtue ; and I know you to be a person 
of sound judgment. For, however I may act in 
opposition to the principles of religion, or the dictates 
of reason, lean honestly assure you I had always 
the highest veneration for both. The world and I 
may shake hands, for I dare affirm we are heartily 
weary of each other. O! Doctor, what a prodigal 
have I been of the most valuable of all possessions — 
time ! I have squandered it away with a persuasion 
it was lasting : and now, when a few days would be 
worth a hecatomb of worlds, I cannot flatter myself 
with a prospect of half a dozen hours. 

" How despicable is that man who never prays to 
his God but in the time of his distress ! In what 
manner can he supplicate that omnipotent Being in 
his afHiction with reverence, whom, in the tide of 
his prosperity, he never remembered with dread ? 
Do not brand me with infidelity when I tell yoa I 

* This appears in a very strong light from the anecdote 
which is recorded concerning the Doctor's preaching before 
King Charles the Second, and the Duke's severe address to 
him. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



8! 



am almost ashamed to offer up my petitions to the 
throne of grace, or of imploring that divine mercy in 
the next world which I have so scandalously abused 
in this. Shall ingratitude to man be looked on as the 
blackest of crimes, and not ingratitude to God? 
Shall an insult offered to the king be looked on in 
the most offensive light, and yet no notice be taken 
when the King of kings is treated with indignity and 
disrespect ? 

"The companions of my former libertinism would 
scarce believe their eyes, were you to shew them this 
I epistle. They would laugh at me as a dreaming en- 
thusiast, or pity me as a timorous wretch, who was 
shocked at the appearance of futurity. They are 
more entitled to my pity than my resentment. A 
future state may very well strike terror into any man 
who has not acted well in this life ; and he must have 
an uncommon share of courage indeed, who does not 
shrink at the presence of God. 
" You see, my dear Doctor, the apprehensions of 
t death will soon bring the most profligate to a proper 
| use of their understanding. I am haunted by re- 
| morse, despised by my aquaintance, and I fear, for- 
saken by my God. There is nothing so dangerous, 
; my dear Doctor, as extraordinary abilities. I cannot 
; be accused of vanity now, by being sensible that I 
j was once possessed of uncommon qualifications, as I 
J sincerely regret that I was ever blessed with any at 
all. My rank in life still made these accomplish- 
ments more conspicuous ; and, fascinated with the 
general applause which they procured, I never consi- 
dered about the proper means by which they should 
be displayed. Hence, to purchase a smile from a 
blockhead whom I despised , I have frequently treated 
the virtuous with disrespect ; and sported with the 
holy name of Heaven to obtain a laugh from a parcel 
of fools, who were entitled to nothing but my 
contempt. 

" Your men of wit, my dear Doctor, look on them- 



B0 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



selves as discharged from the duties of religion, and 
confine the doctrines of the gospel to people of 
meaner understandings, and look on that man to be 
of a narrow genius who studies to be good. What 
a pity that the Holy Writings are not made the crite- 
rion of true judgment? Favour me, my dear Doctor, 
with a visit as soon as possible. Writing to you gives 
me some ease. I am of opinion this is the last visit 
I shall ever solicit from you. My distemper is pow- 
erful. Come and pray for the departing spirit of the 
unhappy Buckimgham ."* 

* This nobleman is described to have been a gay, capricious 
person, of some wit, and great vivacity. He was the minister 
of riot, and counsellor of infamous practices ; the slave of 
intemperance, a pretended Atheist, without honour or prin- 
ciple, economy or discretion. At last, deserted by all 
his friends, and despised by all the world, he died in the 
greatest want and obscurity. It is of him that Mr. Pope 
says : — 

" In the worst inn's worst room, with mat half hung, 
With floor of plaister, and the walls of dung — 
Great Villiers lies ! Alas ! how chang'd from him ; 
That life of pleasure and that soul of whim ! — 
No wit to flatter left of all his store ! 
No fool to laugh at, which he valued more ! 
Tliere, victor of his health, his fortune, friends, 
And fame, this lord of useless thousands ends." 

Mr. Dryden describes this nobleman as being — 

A man so various, that he seem'd to be 

Not one, but all mankind's epitome : 

Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong ; 

Was every thing by starts, and nothing long ; 

But, in the course of one revolving moon, 

Was chymist, fiddler, statesman, and buffoon : 

Then all for women, painting, rhyming, drinking ; 

Besides ten thousand freaks that died in thinking." 
"vVentworth Dillon, Earl of Roscommon, cotemporary with 
Buckingham, was also a man of considerable learning and 
abilities, but a man of dissipation, and licentious principles. 
He addicted himself immoderately to gaming, by which he 
was engaged in frequent quarrels, and brought into no little 
distress. But however we may be disposed to play the devil 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 83 

33. We have also an uncommon alarm given us 
in a letter from another nobleman, but whose name 
is concealed from motives of delicacy, on his death- 
bed, to an intimate companion, which no man can 
seriously read, and not find himself deeply affected. 
I will produce it at length, 
j " Dear Sir,— Before you receive this, my final 
< state will be determined by the Judge of all the earth. 
! In a few days at most, perhaps in a few hours, 
|j the inevitable sentence will be past, that shall raise 
me to the heights of happiness, or sink me to the 
I depths of misery. While you read these lines. I shall 
be either groaning under the agonies of absolute 
despair, or triumphing in fulness of joy. 

" It is impossible for me to express the present dis- 
position of my soul — the vast uncertainty I am strug- 
gling with ! No words can paint the force and viva- 
city of my apprehensions. Every doubt wears the 
face of horror, and would perfectly overwhelm me, 

when we are in no apparent danger, there is a time coming 
when we shall see all things in a more serious point of view. 
Accordingly, we are told, at the moment this merry noble- 
man expired, he was constrained to utter, with an energy of 
voice that expressed the most ardent devotion — 
" My God, my Father, and my Friend, 
Do not forsake me in the end !" 
Something like the case of Buckingham and Roscommon 
likewise, was the last scene of John Sheffield, Duke of 
Buckingham, who died in the reign of George the First, 
if we may credit the lines inscribed by his own order on 
his monument, — 

" Dubis, sed non improbus vixi. 
Incertus morior, non perturbatus. 

Humanum est necire et errare. 
Christum adveneror, Deo confido. 
Ens Entium, miserere mei !" 
Sir Richard Steele hath given us another affecting confession 
of a dying Infidel, in No. LXXXI. of the " Guardian and 
a humorous account of two other gentlemen of the same 
cast, in Nos. CXI. and CXXXV. of the " Tatler," which the 
reader may consult at his pleasure. 
F 2 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



but for some faint beams of hope, which dart across 
the tremendous gloom ! What tongue can utter the 
anguish of a soul suspended between the extremes 
of infinite joy and eternal misery? I am throwing 
my last stake for eternity, and tremble and shudder 
for the important event. 

" Good God ! how have I employed myself! what 
enchantment hath held me ? In what delirium has 
my life been past ? What have I been doing, while 
the sun in its race, and the stars in their courses have 
lent their beams, perhaps only to light me to perdition. 

" I never awaked till now. I have but just com- 
menced the dignity of a rational being. Till this 
instant I hud a wrong apprehension of every thing in 
nature. I have pursued shadows, and entertained 
myself with dreams. I have been treasuring up dust, 
and sporting myself with the wind. I look back on 
my past life, and, but for some memorials of infamy 
and guilt, it is all a blank — a perfect vacancy ! I 
might have grazed with the beasts of the field, or sung 
with the winged inhabitants in the woods, to much 
better purpose than any for which I have Jived. 
And, oh ! but for some faint hope, a thousand times 
more blessed had I been to have slept with the clods 
of the valley, and never heard the Almighty's fiat, nor 
waked into life at his command ! 

" I never had a just apprehension of the solemnity 
of the part I am to act till now. I have often met 
death insulting on the hostile plain, and, with a stupid 
boast, defied his terrors ; with a courage as brutal as 
that of the warlike horse, I have rushed into the 
battle, laughed at the glittering spear, and rejoiced 
at the sound of the trumpet, nor had a thought of any 
state beyond the grave, ncr the great tribunal to 
which I must have been summoned — 

Where all my secret guilt had been reveal'd, 
Nor the minutest circumstance conceal'd. 
It is this which arms death with oil its terrors, else I 
could still mock at fear, and smile in the face of the 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 85 

j gloomy monarch. It is not giving up. my breath ; it 
I is not being for ever insensible, is the thought at 
!; which I shrink ; it is the terrible hereafter, the some- 
j thing beyond the grave, at which I recoil. Those 
I great realities, which, in the hours of mirth and va- 
j| nity, I have treated as phantoms, as the idle dreams 
of superstitious beings; these start forth, and dare 
I me now in their most terrible demonstration. My 
jj awakened conscience feels something of that eternal 
i| vengeance I have often defied. 

" To what heights of madness is it possible for 
| human nature to reach ? What extravagance it is to 
J jest with death! to laugh at damnation! to sport 
I with eternal chains, and recreate a joyful fancy with 
I the scenes of infernal misery ! 

i " Were there no impiety in this kind of mirth, it 
would be as ill-bred as to entertain a dying friend 
* with the sight of an harlequin, or the rehearsal of a 
farce. Every thing in nature seems to reproach this 
levity in human creatures. The whole creation, man 

| excepted, is serious : man, who has the highest rea- 

I son to be so, vdiile he has affairs of infinite consequence 
■jj depending on this short and uncertain duration. A 

condemned wretch may with as good a grace go 
dancing to his execution, as the greatest part of 
mankind go on with such a thoughtless gaiety to 
their graves. 

" Oh ! my friend, with what horror do I recal those 
hours of vanity we have wasted together? Return 
ye lost neglected moments ! How should I prize you 
above the eastern treasures ! Let me dwell with 
hermits; let me rest on the cold earth ; let me con- 
verse in cottages ; may I but once more stand a can- 
didate for an immortal crown, and have my probation 
| for celestial happiness. 

" Ye vain grandeurs of a court ! Ye sounding titles, 

II and perishing riches! what do ye now signify ? What 
consolation, what relief can ye give ? I have a splendid 

1 passage to the grave ; I die in state, and languish 



85 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

under a gilded canopy ; I am expiring on soft and 
downy pillows, and am respectfully attended by my 
servants and physicians : my dependants sigh, my 
sisters weep ; my father bends beneath a load of years 
and grief; my lovely wife, pale and silent, conceals 
her inward anguish; my friend, who was as my own 
soul, suppresses his sighs, and leaves me to hide his 
secret grief. But, oh ! which of these will answer 
my summons at the high Tribunal ? — which of them 
will bail me from the arrest of death? — who will 
descend into the dark prison of the grave for me ? 

" Here they all leave me, after having paid a few 
idle ceremonies to the breathless clay, which perhaps 
may lie reposed in state, while my soul, my only con- 
scious part, may stand trembling before my Judge. 

" My afflicted friends, it is very probable, with great 
solemnity, will lay the senseless corpse in a stately 
monument, inscribed with — 

Here lies the great 

But could the pale carcase speak, it would soon 
reply- 
False marble, where ? 
Nothing but poor and sordid dust lies here I 

While some flattering panegyric is pronounced at my 
interment, I may perhaps be hearing my just con- 
demnation at a superior Tribunal, where an unerring: 
verdict may sentence me to everlasting infamy. But 
I cast myself on God's absolute mercy, through the 
infinite merits of the Redeemer of lost mankind. 
Adieu, my dear friend, till we meet in the world of 
spirits V 

Nothing is so well calculated to convince us of the 
vast importance of living wholly under the power of 
the gospel, as seeing great and valuable men dying in 
such a low, sneaking, and unworthy manner, as many 
of the first characters of our world have been known 
to do. The cases of Grotius, and Salmasius, of John- 
son and Haller, are mortifying instances. Great 



AND THE SACRED WHITINGS. 



87 



talents, great learning, great celebrity, are all utter- 
ly insufficient to constitute a man happy, and give 
him peace and confidence in adyinghour. We know 
the promises of God are all yea and amen in Christ 
Jesus ; but if the promises are sure, and strongly ani- 
mating to the proper objects of them, the threatenings 
of God are not less infallible, and at the same time 
are extremely alarming to the proper objects of them. 
Nothing within the compass of nature can enable a 
man, with the eyes of his mind properly eulightened, 
to face death without fear and dismay, but a strong 
conscious sense, founded on scriptural evidence, that 
our sins are pardoned, that God is reconciled, and that 
the Judge of the world is become our friend. 



IV.— EXAMPLES OF PERSONS LIVING 
AND DYING, EITHER WITH CONFI- 
DENCE, OR THE FULL ASSURANCE 
OF FAITH. 

" Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his 

saints." — Psalm cxvi. 15. 
W Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last 

end be like his." — Numb, xxiii. 10. 

34. Joseph Addison, Esq., was a very able and 
elegant advocate for the Bible in life and death. Just 
before his departure, having sent for a young noble- 
man nearly related to him, who requested to know his 
dying commands, his answer was, " See in what peace 
a Christian can die I" 

He spoke with difficulty, and soon expired. 
Through grace divine, how great is man ! Through 
divine mercy, how stingless is death ! 

" He taught us how to live ; and oh ! too high 
A price for knowledge, taught us how to die."* 

* See Dr. Young's " Conjectures on Original Compositions." 



88 A PLEA FOR RELIGION. 

35. Dr. John Leland, after spending a long and 
exemplary life in the service of the Gospel, closed it 
with the following words : — " I give my dying testi- 
mony to the truth of Christianity. The promises of 
the Gospel are my support and consolation — the} 7 , 
alone, yield me satisfaction in a dying hour. Iam not 
afraid to die. The Gospel of Christ has raised me 
above the fearof death, ' for I know that my Redeem- 
er liveth.' " 

36. Monsieur Pascal was a great man every way, 
and one of the most humble and devout believers in 
Jesus that ever lived. The celebrated Bayle saith of 
his life, that " a hundred volumes of sermons are not 
worth so much as this single life, and are far less 
capable of disarming men of impiety. The extraor- 
dinary humility and devotion of Monsieur Pascal 
gives a more sensible mortification to the libertines 

of the age, than if one was to let loose upon them a w 
dozen of Missionaries. They can now no longer at- 
tack us with their favourite and darling objection, 
that there are none but little and narrow spirits who | 
profess themselves the votaries of piety and religion : 
for we can now tell them, and boldly tell them, that 
both the maxims and practice thereof have been 
pushed on to the strongest degree, and carried to the 
Ihe greatest height, by one of the profoundest geome- 
tricians, by one of the most subtile metphysicians, 
and by one of the most solid and penetrating geni- 
uses that ever yet existed on this earth."* 

37. Olympia Fulvia Morata was one of the earliest 
and brigiitest ornaments of the Reformation. She 
could declaim in Latin, converse in Greek, and was 
a critic in the most difficult classics. But after it 

* " This great man, during some of the latter years of his 
life, spent his whole time in prayer, and in reading the Holy 
Scriptures, and in this he took incredible delight." — JesujJ's 
Life of Pascal." In his " Thoughts on Religion," there is 
a fine expostulation with unbelievers, which ought most se- 
riously to be attended to by every person of that description. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



60 



pleased God by his grace to open the eyes of her mind 
to discover the truth, she became enamoured of the 
Sacred Scriptures above all other books in the world, 
and studied them by day and by night. And when 
dissolution approached, she declared she felt nothing 
but " an inexpressible tranquillity and peace with God 
through Jesus Christ." Her mouth was full of the 
' praises of God, and she emphatically expressed her- 
|| self by saying, " I am nothing but joy." 
1} 38. William, Lord Russell, delivered himself, just 
!' before his execution, in the strongest terms of faith 
Si and confidence. Besides many other things, he said, 
" Neither my imprisonment, nor fear of death, have 
been able to discompose me in any degree. On the 
I contrary, I have found the assurance of the love and 
I mercy ofjGod, in and through my blessed Redeemer, 
in whom I only trust. And I do not question but I 
am going to partake of that fulness of joy, which is 
in his presence ; the hopes of which do so wonder- 
fully delight me, that I think this is the happiest 
I time of my life, though others may look upon it as the 
saddest." 

39. Charles the Fifth, Emperor of Germany, King 
of Spain, and Lord of the Netherlands, after having 
alarmed and agitated all Europe, for near fifty years, 
retired, from the world, and enjoyed more complete 
' contentment in this situation than all his grandeur 
had ever yielded him. " I have tasted," said he, 
"more satisfaction in my solitude, in one day; than 
in all the triumphs of my former reign : and I find 
that the sincere study, profession and practice of the 
Christian religion, hath in it such joys and sweetness 
as courts are strangers to."* 

* Louis, one of the late Dukes of Orleans, expressed the 
delight he found in piety and devotion in the following 
terms, which are somewhat similar to the above of Charles : — 
I " I know, by experience, that sublunary grandeur and sub- 
lunary pleasure are deceitful and vain, and are always in- 
finitely below the conception we form of them. But, on the 



90 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



40. Oxenstiern was chancellor of Sweden, and one 
of the most able and learned men of his time, and yet 
he was not too great and too wise to be above being 
taught by the Sacred Writings. " After all my trou- 
bles and toilings in the world," says he, " I find that 
my private life in the country has afforded me more 
contentment than ever I met with in all my public 
employments. I have lately applied myself to the 
study of the Bible, wherein all wisdom, and the great- 
est delights, are to be found. I therefore counsel you 
(the English ambassador) to make the study and 
practice of the Word of God your chief contentment 
and delight; as indeed it will be to every soul who 
savours the truths of God, which infinitely excel all 
worldly things." 

41. Mr. Selden, the famous lawyer, whom Grotius 
calls u the glory of the English nation," was, as Sir 
Matthew Hale declared, " a resolved serious Chris- 
tian, and a great adversary to Hobbes's errors." He 
was generally considered as one of the most eminent 
philosophers, and most learned men of his time. He 

contrary, such happiness and such complacency may be 
found in devotion and piety as the sensual mind has no 
idea of." Gustavus Adolplms, the renowned King of 
Sweden, was also eminent for his piety towards God, and 
has been known to spend hours together in religious retire- 
ment. So, too, our excellent Alfred. It is said likewise of 
his late Majesty, King George II., that, during war time, he 
would constantly be in his closet between five and six 
o'clock in the morning, winter and summer, praying for the 
success of his fleets and armies. A remarkable instance of 
attention to the blessing of the Divine Being we have also, 
in the conduct of the late truly valiant Admiral Lord Dun- 
can. Previous to the late action on the coast of Holland, 
during the awful moments of preparation, he called his 
officers upon deck, and in their presence prostrated himself 
in prayer before the God of Hosts, committing himself and 
them, with the cause they maintained, to his sovereign pro- 
tection, his family to his care, his soul and body to the dis- 
posal of his providence : then, rising from his knees, he gavo 
command to make the attack* 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



91 



had taken a diligent survey of all kinds of learning, 
, and had read as much perhaps as any man ever did ; 
I and yet, towards the latter end of his days, he de- 
j clared to Archbishop Usher, that notwithstanding he 
i had been so laborious in his inquiries, and curious in 
l > his collections, and had possessed himself of a trea- 
' sure of books and manuscripts upon all ancient sub- 
| jects, yet, " he could rest his soul on none, save the 
| Scriptures."* This is a perfect eulogium on the 
|j Sacred Volume. 

42. Monsieur Claude was a very considerable man 
j among the Protestants who were driven out of France 
by Louis the Fourteenth. When he was taken ill, he 
sent for the senior pastor of the church, to whom in 
the presence of all his family he expressed himself 
I thus : — " Sir, I was desirous to see you, and to make 
my dying declaration before you. I am a miserable 
sinner before God. I most heartily beseech him to 
show me mercy for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
I hope he will hear my prayer. He has promised to 
j! hear the cries of repenting sinners. I adore him for 
blessing my ministry. It has not been fruitless in 
his church ; it is an effect of God's grace, and I adore 
his providence for it." 

After pausing awhile, he added, " I have carefully 
examined all religions. None appear to me worthy 
of the wisdom of God, and capable of leading man to 
happiness, but the Christian religion. I have dili- 
gently studied Popery and the Reformation. The 
Protestant religion, I think, is the only good religion. 
It is all found in the Holy Scriptures, the Word of 
God. From this, as from a fountain, all religion must 
be drawn. Scripture is the root, the protestant reli- 
gion is the trunk and branches of the tree. It becomes 
you all to keep steady to it." 

* This is equally true of that philosophic soul, Marcilius 
Ficinus, who was as learned a man as Italy ever produced. 
After he had read all good authors, he rested in the Bible 
as the only book. 



m 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



About a week before he died, with true patriarchal 
dignity, he sat up in his bed, and asked to speak with 
his son and family. " Son," said he tenderly embra- 
cing him, " I amileaving you. The time of my depar- 
ture is at hand." Silence and sobs, and floods of 
tears followed, each clasped in the other's arms. The 
family all came and asked his blessing. "Most wil- 
lingly," replied he, " will I giveit you." Mrs. Claude i 
kneeled down by the bed-side. " My wife," said he, 
" I have always tenderly loved you. Be not afflicted 
at my death. The death of the saints are precious in 
the sight of God. In you I have seen a sincere piety. 
I bless God for it. Be constant in serving him with 
your whole heart. He will bless you. I recommend 
ray son and his family to you, and I beseech the Lord 
to bless you." To his son, who, with an old servant, \ 
was kneeling by his mother, he said, among other 
things, "Son, you have chosen the good part. Per- 
form your office as a good pastor, and God will bless 
you. Love and respect your mother. Be mindful of 
this domestic. Take care she wants nothing as long I 
as she lives. I give you all my blessing." 

He afterwards said, at several times, " I am so op- 
pressed, that I can attend only to two of the great 
truths of religion— the mercy of God, and the gracious ' 
aids of his Holy Spirit." 

" I know whom I have believed, and I am persuad- 
ed he is able to keep that which I have committed 
unto him against that day." 

" My whole recourse is to the mercy of God ; I 
expect a better life than this." 

" Our Lord Jesus Christ is my only righteousness." 

Thus died the venerable and inestimable John 
Claude, in the sixty-eighth year of his age A. D. 
1687. 

43. The Rev. Samuel Walker, of Truro, in Cornwall, 
was a minister of no ordinary rank in the Church of 
Christ. His excessive labours, however, ruined his 
constitution, and he died at the age of forty-eight. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



00 



When his dissolution drew near, after much former 
darkness, but the most assured confidence in God, he 
broke out to his nurse in this rapturous expression, " I 
have been upon the wings of the cherubim ! Heaven 
has been in a manner opened to me ! I shall soon be 
there !" Next day, to a friend who came to see him, 
he said, with a joy in his countenance more than words 
can utter, "O my friend, had I strength to speak, I 
could tell you such news as would rejoice your very 
soul ! I have had such views of heaven ! But I am 
not able to say more." 

44. The Rev. James Hervey is well known to have 
been an elegant scholar, and a believer in the Bible, 
with its most distinguished truths. When he appre- 
hended himself to be near the close of life, and stood, 
as it were on the brink of the grave, with eternity in 
full view, he wrote to a friend at a distance to tell 
him what were his sentiments in that awful situation. 
" I have been too fond," says he, " of reading every- 
thing valuable and elegant that has been penned in 
our language, and been peculiarly charmed with the 
historians, orators, and poets of antiquity ; but were 
I to renew my studies, I would take my leave of 
those accomplished trifles ; I would resign the delight 
of modern wits, amusements and eloquence, and de- 
vote my attention to the Scriptures of truth. I would 
sit with much greater assiduity, at my divine Mas- 
ter's feet, and desire to know nothing in comparison 
of" Jesus Christ, and him crucified." 

After this, when his dissolution drew still nearer, 
he said to those about him ; — " How thankful am I 
for death ! It is the passage to the Lord and giver of 
eternal life. O welcome, welcome death! Thou 
mayest well be reckoned among the treasures of the 
Christian : 6 to live is Christ, but to die is gain !' — 
4 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, 
according to thy' most holy and comfortable ' word ; 
for mine eyes have seen thy' precious i salvation.' " 

45. Dr. Lechman, late Principal of the College of 



9-4 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Glasgow, at the close of life, thus addressed the sou 
of a worthy nobleman, who was designed for the 
church, and the early part of whose education had 
been much under the doctor's eye. — 

"You see the situation I am 'in; I have not many 
days to live : I am glad you ha ve had an opportunity 
of "witnessing the tranquillity of my last moments. 
But it is not tranquillity and composure alone ; it is 
joy and triumph; it is complete exultation." His 
features kindled, his voice rose as he spake. " And 
whence," says he, " does this exultation spring ? — 
From that book, (pointing to a Bible that lay on the 
table)— from that book, too much neglected, indeed, 
but which contains invaluable treasures ! treasures of 
joy and rejoicing ! for it makes us certan that 4 this 
mortal shall put on immortality.' " 

46. The late Rev. William Romaine was a zealous 
and successful preacher of the gospel of Jesus, and 
adorned it by a suitable character above fifty years. 
In his last illness not one fretful or murmuring word 
ever escaped his lips. " I have," said he, " the peace 
of God in my conscience, and the love of God in my 
heart. I knew before the doctrines I preached to 
be truths, but now I experience them to be blessings. 
Jesus is more precious than rubies, and all that can 
be desired on earth is not to be compared with him." 
He was in full possession of his mental powers to the 
last moment, and near his dissolution cried out, 
" Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty ! Glory be to 
thee on high, for such peace on earth, and good will 
to men."* 

These are glorious instances of the power of reli- 
gion upon the human mind, in the most trying cir- 
cumstances of nature. I know it is fashionable 
for lukewarm and pharisaical Christians, who have 

* The editor recommends to the reader's serious attention 
and perusal, the Life of the late Rev. J. Newton, written by 
Mr. Cecil ; and aho of the late Rev. Cornelius Winter, 
written by Mr. Jay. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 95 



" a form of godliness, but deny the power," and fbr 
philosophisters of every description, to treat all such 
death-bed scenes as delusive'and fanatical. I am 
not, however, ashamed to say, that dissolutions of 
the above description, appear to me honourable to 
religion, and desirable above all the enjoyments of 
the world. If this be enthusiasm, may I be the 
rankest enthusiast that ever existed. Such enthusi- 
asts, thanks be to God, have appeared, more or less, 
j j in every age of the gospel-dispensation. They are 
increasing now in a considerable degree, and they 
I shall abound more and more, maugre all the opposi- 
tion of Infidelity, and the cool and moral harangues 
of a secular and lukemarm clergy. Large numbers 
of examples might be produced, of a similar kind, 
from those who lived before the rise of both Method- 
ism and Puritanism, besides these we have mentioned; 
but the only one I shall introduce here, by way of 
contrast to the death-bed scenesof Chesterfield, Vol- 
taire, Rousseau, and the other unhappy characters 
we have recorded, shall be that of the learned and 
excellent Bishop Bedell, that scourge of ecclesiastical 
corruption, that admirable pattern for prelates and 
clergymen, and that glory of the Irish hierarchy. 

47. After a life spent in the most laborious service 
of his Divine Master, when he apprehended his great 
change to draw near, he called for his sons, and his 
sons' wives, and spake to them, at several times, as 
: he was able, as nearly as could be recollected, in the 
following words : — 

u I am going the way of all flesh ; 6 1 am ready to 
beoffered up, and the time of my departure is at hand/ 
Knowing, therefore, that ' shortly I must put off this 
tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath 
shewed me.' 4 1 know also, that if this ray earthly 
house of this tabernacle were dissolved, I have a 
building of God, a house not made with hands eter- 
nal in the heavens/ a fair mansion in the £ New Je- 
rusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my 



96 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



God.' Therefore ' to me to live is Christ, and to die 
is gain ; which increaseth my desire even now to 
depart, and to be with Christ,' which is far better' 
than to continue here in all transitory, vain, and 
false pleasures of this world, of which I have seen an 
end. 

" Hearken, therefore, unto the last words of your 
dying father. 6 1 am no more in this world, but ye 
are in the world.' ' I ascend to my Father, and your 
Father, to my God, and your 'God, through the 
all-sufficient merits of Jesus Christ my Redeemer ; 
who ever lives to make intercession for me f who is 
4 a propitiation' for all my sins, and washed me from 
them all in his own blood ; who is ' worthy to receive 
glory, and honour, and power ; who hath created all 
things, and for whose pleasure they are and were 
created.' 

" 31 y witness is in heaven, and my record on 
high, that I have endeavoured to glorify God on 
earth : and in the ministry of the gospel of his dear 
Son, which was committed to my trust : 4 1 have 
finished the work which he gave me to do,' as a faith- 
ful ambassador of Christ, and steward of the mys- 
teries of God. 1 I have preached righteouness in the 
great congregation, lo ! I have not refrained my lips, 
O Lord ! thou knowest.' ' I have not hid thy righte- 
ousness within my heart; I have declared thy faith- 
fulness and thy salvaton; I have not concealed thy 
loving-kindness and thy truth from the great con- 
gregation' of mankind. 1 He is near that justifieth 
me,' that ' 1 have not concealed the words of the 
Holy One; but the words that lie gave to me I have 
given to you, and ye have received them.' 

" I had" a desire and resolution to walk before God in 
every stage of my pilgrimage, from my youth up to 
this day, in truth and^with an upright, heart, and to 
do that which was upright in his eyes, to the utmost 
of my power ; and ' what things were gain to me 
formerly, these things I count now loss for Christ : 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



07 



yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the 
I excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my 
Lord ; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things ; 
' and I count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 
and be found in him, nor, having my own righteous- 
ness, which is of the law, but that which is through 
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God 
j by faith ; that I may know him. and the power of 
jj his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, 
lj being made conformable to his death. I press, 
' therefore, * towards the mark, for the prize of the 
j high calling of God in Christ Jesus.' 

" Let nothing separate you from the love of Christ, 
' neither tribulation, nor distress, nor persecution, 
nor famine, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor sword 
though, as we hear and see, ' for his sake we are 
killed all the day long, we are accounted as sheep 
for the slaughter; yea, in all these things we are 
more than conquerors, through him that loved us; 
for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor 
! angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things pre- 
sent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor 
any creature shall be able to separate me from the 
love of God in Christ Jesus, my Lord.' Therefore, 
* love not the world, nor the things of the world f 
but prepare daily and hourly for death, which now 
besieges us on every side ; and be faithful unto 
death, that we may meet together joyfully on the 
right hand of Christ at the last day, and follow the 
Lamb whithersoever he goeth, with all those that are 
clothed in white robes, in sign of innoeency , and palms 
! in their hands, in sign of victory ; i which came out 
of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, 
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.' 
I They shall hunger no mere, nor thirst, neither shall 
the sun light on them, nor any heat, for the Lamb 
that is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, 
and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, 
and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 
G 



93 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

" Choose rather, with Moses, 1 to suffer affliction 
with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures 
of sin for a season,' which will be bitterness in the 
latter end. Look, therefore, for sufferings, and to be 
made partakers of the sufferings of Christ ; ' to fill up 
that which is behind of the affliction of Christ in your 
flesh, for his body's sake, which is the church.' What 
can you look for, but one woe after another, while 
the man of sin is thus suffered to rage, and to make 
havoc of God's people at his pleasure, while men are 
divided about trifles that ought to be more vigilant 
over us, and careful of those whose blood is precious 
in God's sight, though now shed every where like 
water. • If ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy 
are ye; be not afraid of their terror, neither be ye 
troubled ;' and be ye ' in nothing terrified by, your 
adversaries; which is to them an evident token of 
perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.' 
e For to you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not 
only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.' 
Rejoice, therefore, inasmuch as ye are partakers of 
Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be re- 
vealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.* 
And if ye be reproached for the name of Christ, hap- 
py are ye; the Spirit of glory and of Ghrist resteth 
on you ; on their part he is evil spoken of, on your 
part he is glorified.' 

" God will surely visit you in due time, and turn 
your captivity as the rivers of the south, and bring 
you back again into your possession in this land, 
i though now for a season, if need be, you are in heavi- 
ness through manifold temptations, yet ye shall reap 
in joy,' though now ye c sow in tears ;' all our losses 
shall be recompensed with abundant advantages,*' for 
my God will supply all your need, 'according to his 
riches in glory, by Jesus Christ, who is able to do 
exceeding abundantly for us, above all that we are 
able to ask or think.' " 

After that, he blessed his children, and those who 



i 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



m 



stood about him in an audible voice, in these words : 
"God of his infinite mercy bless you all, and present 
you holy and unblameable and irreproveable in his 
sight, that we may meet together at the right hand 
of our blessed ' Saviour Jesus Christ, with joy un- 
speakable and full of glory. 5 Amen." To which he 
added these words : — " I have fought the good fight, 
I have finished the course of my ministry and life 
together. Though i grievous wolves have entered in 
\ among us, not sparing the flock,' yet I trust the 
Great Shepherd of his flock ' will save and deliver 
| them out of all places where they have been scattered 
in this cloudy and dark day, and they shall be no 
more a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beasts 
of the land devour them ; but they shall dwell safely, 
and none shall make them afraid.' — ' O Lord, I have 
waited for thy salvation !' " And after a little inter- 
val, he said, " ' f have kept the faith' once given to 
the saints; for the which cause I have also suffered 
these things; but ' I am not ashamed, for I know 
' whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is 
able to keep that which I have committed to him 
against that day.' " 

After this the good bishop spake little more. His 
sickness increased, his speech failed, and he slumber- 
ed the remainder of his time away, till his discharge 
came. 

Let incredulity itself now say if this was not an ad- 
mirable close of so laborious and useful a life as this 
excellent man is known to have lived. 

One may defy all the sons of infidelity to show us 
an example among their brethren, of a life so useful, 
and a death so great, so noble, so glorious, as this of 
the good bishop.* 

* Be it observed, too, what use this admirable man makes 
of the Sacred Waitings. ~ 

" They know not 

That Scripture is the only cure of woe : 
That field of promise, how it flings abroad 



iLof C. 



100 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Now, my friends and countrymen, these are all so 
many well-attested matters of fact. Most of the 
persons mentioned were of the first reputation in 
their respective spheres of action. It would be pru- 
dent to review the whole : to compare the several 
instances, and weigh thoroughly the issue ; for though 
it is not our province to determine the final fates of 
men, we may, from such comparison, see clearly whose 
situation is most eligible at the close of life, and whose 
case stands fairest for future felicity. Extremely 
weak, therefore, would it be, to let any man sneer us 
out of our Bible, our Redeemer, and our salvation. 
Did we ever know a person lament when he came to 
die, that he had taken too much care to serve his 
Creator, and save his soul alive? Did we ever 
hear of a deist, who gloried in his departing moments 
that he had been favoured with success in making 
converts to the principles of infidelity ? Or did we 
ever see a sound scholar, who was at the same time a 
chaste, temperate, moral, and conscientious man, that 
lived and died an unbeliever?* Instances of a con- 
Its odour o'er the Christian's thorny road : 
The soul, reposing on assurd relief, 
Feels herself happy amidst a 1 her grief, 
Forgets her labour as she toils along, 
Weeps tears of joy, and bursts into a song." 

CoR'pcr''s " Poem on Truth." 
* Lord Bolingbroke was a man of considerable talents, 
and lived and died an infidel. But when we reflect, that he 
was at the same time a libertine, and much addicted to 
women and wine, we shall cease to wonder that he rejected 
Christianity, notwithstanding the high compliments he 
sometimes thought proper to pay it. Sir William Temple, 
too, " was a person of true judgment in civil affairs, and 
very good principles, with relation to government ; but in 
nothing else. He was a vain man, much blown up in his 
own conceit, which he showed too indecently on all occa- 
sions. He seemed to think, that things were as they are 
from all eternity ; at least he thought religion was fit only 
for the mob. He was a great admirer of the sect of Con- 
fucius in China who were atheists thems-lves or left re- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



101 



trary nature we have known many, but rarely one 
which comes up to this description. Persons of an 
affected liberality of mind, indeed, are frequently 
found, who hector, domineer, and speak great swelling 
words of vanity, while health arid prosperity smile 
upon them, but they generally lose their courage, and 
appear to infinite ' disadvantage, when death and 
judgment stare them in the face. If their souls are 
I not harrowed up with horror, as in the cases of Vol- 
j taire, Newport, Altamont, and others, at best they 
are sullen, gloomy, disconsolate, like Hobbes and 
Chesterfield ; or, " having their consciences seared as 
with a hot iron," they are insensible to the vast rea- 

ligion to the rabble. He was a corrupter of all that came 
near him, and he delivered himself wholly up to study, ease, 
and pleasure." — Burnet's " Own Times," A.D. 1674. Sir 
Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury, was " a man 
of various talents, but a deist at best in his religion. He 
had the dotage of astrology in him to a high degree. He 
fancied, that after death our souls lived in stars. He had 
a general knowledge of the slighter parts of learning, but 
understood little to the bottom ; so he triumphed in a ram- 
bling way of talking, but argued slightly when he was held 
close to one point. He had a wonderful faculty at opposing 
and running things down ; but had not the like force in 
building up. He had such an extravagant vanity in setting 
himself out, that it was very disagreeable." Sir George 
Saviile, afterwards Viscount, Earl and Marquis of Halifax, 
was " a man of great and ready wit ; full of life, and very 
pleasant; much turned to satire. He let his wit run much 
on matters of religion, so that he passed for a bold and de- 
termined atheist ; though he often protested he was not one. 
He confessed he could not swallow down every thing that 
divines imposed on the world. He was a Christian by sub- 
mission ; he believed as much as he could. In a fit of 
sickness, I knew him very much touched with a sense of 
religion. I was then often with him. He seemed full of 
good purposes, but they went off with his sickness." — 
Burnet's " Own Times." This is a specimen of the gene- 
ral characters of those who reject the gospel of Christ. 
Gray, the poet, seems to have had an opinion of Shaftes- 
bury equally low with the above of Bishop Burnet. — See 
Johnson's Lives of the Englisk Poets, vol. iv. pp. 464, 465. 



102 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



litles of the invisible world, brave it out and sport 
blindfold on the brink of destruction, after the man- 
ner of Servin, Hume, Emmerson,and several of the late 
French philosophers. But surely a conduct of this 
kind is highly unbecoming men of wisdom, even upon 
their own supposition that death is an eternal sleep. 
Is annihilation so small a matter, that a reasonable 
man can look upon it with complacency? Hume's 
conduct was infinitely unnatural. It was the effect 
of pride and sophistical philosophy. " Hehad a va- 
nity in being thought easy/' as Dr. Johnson justly 
observes — 

" That must be our cure, 
To be no more. Sad cure ! For who would lose 

this intellectual being, 

Those thoughts that wander through eternity, 
To perish rather, swallowed up and lost, 
In the wide womb of uncreated night, 
Devoid of sense and motion !" 

It will be the concern of every wise man, therefore, 
to take warning in time, to be cautious how he gives 
credit to the representations of unbelievers, and con- 
sider well what the end of our present state and trial 
will be. It is an easy business to revile and stigma- 
tize the Bible. Few things more so. Anysmatterer 
in learning, who hath got a wicked heart, a witty 
head, and a comfortable flow of scurrilous language, 
is competent to the task. Examples of this kind we 
meet with in every neighbourhood. Profound scho- 
lars, however, and modest men, have always been 
incapable of such conduct. What Lord Bacon* 

* Lord Bacon was a serious believer in the gospel of 
Christ, and hath given us his creed at some length, which is 
worthy the attention of the reader. The above passage is 
taken from his "Essays," No. 16. In a prayer which he 
wrote upon a certain occasion, he addresses the Almighty 
by saying, " Thy creatures have been my books, but thy 
Scriptures much more. I have sought thee in the courts, 
fields, and gardens ! but I have found thee in thy temples !" 
Sir Richard Steele gives us a fine character. of this extraor- 



I 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



103 



saith of atheism is equally true of deism:— "A little 
philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but 
depths in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to 
religion !" Our great moral poet, too, will teach us 
the same lesson : — 

" A little learning is a dangerous thing ; 

Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. 

There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, 

And drinking largely sober us again."* 

What, then, if Thomas Paine, who is well known to 
be both illiterate and immoral, insolent and satirical 
(ill qualifications for the discovery of moral and re- 
ligious truth, which consists in purity, modesty, 
humility, sobriety, and goodness), though otherwise 
a man of good natural understanding, is an unbeliever 
in the divine mission of the Son of God ! It may be 
some consolation to remember, that the first charac- 
ters who ever adorned our world, in every department 
of human life, have not been ashamed of the Gospel 
of Christ. Every man would do well to reflect, in 
these days of abounding licentiousness, by way of 
supporting the mind against the ridicule of professed 
deists, that the divines, Butler, and Bentley, and 
Barrow, and Berkley, and Cudworth, and Clarke, and 

dinary person. He says, "he was a man who for greatness 
of genius, and compass of knowledge, did honour to his age 
and country; one might almost say to human nature itself. 
He possessed at once all those extraordinary talents which 
were divided among the greatest authors of antiquity. He 
had the sound, distinct, comprehensive knowledge of Aris- 
totle, with all the beautiful lights, graces, and embellish- 
ments of Cicero. One does not know which to admire most 
in his writings, the strength of reason, force of style, or 
brightness of imagination." — Tatler, No. 267. 

*"The Christian religion," says another great writer, 
" has nothing to apprehend from the strictest investigation 
of the most learned of its adversaries ; it suffers only from 
the misconceptions of socialists, and silly pretenders to su- 
perior wisdom. A little learning is far more dangerous to 
the faith of those who possess it than ignorance itself." 



104 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Sherlock, and Doddridge, and Lardner, and Pearson, 
and Taylor, and Usher, and a thousand more, were 
believers ;* that the poets, Spencer, and Waller, and 
Cowley, and Prior, and Thomson, and Gray, and 
Young, and Milton, were believers; that the states- 
men. Hyde, and Somers, and Culien, and Pulreny, 
and Howard, and King, and Barrinston, and Littie- 
ton, with numberless more,t were believers ; that the 
moralists, Steel, and Addison, and Hawkes worth, 
and Johnson, were believers; that the physicians, 
Arbutlmot, and Cheyne, and Brown, and Boerhaave, 
and Pringle, and Hartley, and Haller, and Mead, 
and Fothergill, were believers; that the lawyers, 
Hale, and Mel moth, and Forbes, and Ha iles, and Pratt, 
and Blacks tone, and Jones,t were believers; that the 

* [It has been conceived, through mistake, that the au- 
thor intended in this place to vouch for the genuine piety of 
every individual of the long list here enumerated. Bat this 
was by no means necessary to his argument, however fa- 
vourably he might have conceived of the generality of these 
characters. He is arguing simply here for the truth of the 
Scriptures; and the drift of his argument is, that they have 
approved themselves, respecting their veracity, to the un- 
derstandings of the greatest and most enlightened geniuses; 
and withstood the scrutiny of the most deep and critical 
investigation. This is precisely the argument adopted by 
Lord Chancellor Erskine, when counsel in the prosecution 
against Williams, referred to in the Preface. Our author 
knew too well the difference between the mere assent of the 
understanding to the truth of the Scriptures, and their 
saving influence on the heart, to make any confession be- 
tween them. A man may be a true believer in the authen- 
ticity of the Scriptures, while he is a very infidel as to the 
obedience he pays to them.] — Editor. 

+ Washington was lately a living character, and generally 
allowed to be one of the first warriors, the first of politi- 
cians, and the worthiest of men. This same gentleman is 
the delight of "an admiring and astonished world," and 
yet — hear it, 0 ye minute philosophers of degenerate Eu- 
rope—he was a Christian ! 

| It is a pleasure to hear such men as Lord Erskine, one 
of the first orators of the age, come boldly forward in favour 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



105 



philosophers, Pascal, and Grotius, and Ray, and 
Cotes, and Ferguson, and Adams, and Locke, and 
Euler, and Newton, were belie vers.% Where is the 
great misfortune, then, to the interests of religion, if 
lukewarm Christians of every persuasion betray the 
cause they pretend to espouse; and if unbelievers of 
every description imagine a vain thing against the 
j Redeemer of mankind, and the Book which he hath 
! caused to be written for our instruction. Nothing 
l| less than demonstration on the side of infidelity 
should induce any man to resist the monumentum, 
thdt these venerable names give in favour of the gos- 
pel. Many of them were the ornaments of human 
nature, whether we consider the wide range of their 
abilities, the great extent of their learning acknow- 
ledge, or the piety, integrity, and beneficenceof their 
lives. These eminent characters, Bacon, Newton, 
Locke, Boyle, Ditton, Addison, Hartley, Littleton, 
Woodward, Pringle, Haller, Jones, Boerhaave, Mil- 
ton, Grotius, Barrington, and Euler,f in particular, 

of the Gospel of Jesus. " No man ever existed," says he> 
"who is more alive to every thing connected with the 
Christian fait I % than I am, or more unalterably impressed 
with its truths." — View of the Causes, §c. p. 56. 

* We are well aware that the truth of Christianity cannot 
be established by authority. But if its truth cannot be so 
established, neither can its falsehood. Indeed, no man can 
be a competent judge, either of the truth or falsehood of 
the gospel, who has not turned his attention to it for a con- 
siderable time with all seriousness of mind, and with a con- 
siderable share of literary information. We may experience 
its saving power, but we are ill qualified to defend its 
veracity. 

tit is said of this great Christian philosopher, in the 
" General Biographical Dictionary," that few men of letters 
have written so much as he. His memory shall endure, 
continues his biographer, till science herself is no more. 
No geometrician has ever embraced so many objects at one 
time, or has equalled him, either in the variety or magnitude 
of his discoveries. He had read all the Latin classics, could 
repeat the whole "iEneid" of Virgil by heart; was perfect 



106 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



firmly adhered to the belief of Christianity, after the 
most diligent and exact researches into the life of its ; 
Founder, the authenticity of its records, the comple- 
tion of the prophecies, the sublimity of its doctrines, 
the purity of its precepts, and the arguments of its 
adversaries. Here, you will remark, was no priest- ! 
craft. These were all men of independentprinciples, 
and the most liberal and enlarged minds. They 
investigated the pretensions of the gospel to the 
bottom ; they were not only satisfied with the justice 
of its claims, but they gloried in it as a most bene- 
volent and god-like scheme ;* and they all endeavour- 
master of ancient mathematical literature ; had the history 
of all ages and nations, even to the minutest facts, ever 
present to his mind ; was acquainted with physic, botany, 
and chemistry ; was possessed of every qualification that 
could render a man estimable. Yet this man, accomplished 
as he was, was filled with respect for religion. His piety 
was sincere, and his devotion full of fervour. He went 
through all his Christian duties with the greatest attention. 
He loved all mankind, and if ever he felt a motion of indig- ; 
nation, it was against the enemies of religion, particularly 
against the declared apostles of infidelity. Against the ob- 
jections of these he defended Revelation, in a work published 
at Berlin, in 1747. 

* Dr. Disney Alexander, a physician, was favoured with a 
religious education, and brought up with a view to the 
church. By mixing with the world as he advanced in life, 
he lost his religious impressions. At this time he began to 
read the writings of Messrs. Jebb, Lindsey, and Priestley, 
and became a confirmed Socinian. In this state of mind he 
met with the writings of Helvetins and Voltaire. He read 
them with avidity, and it was not long before he commenced 
Deist. In this state of mind he continued some years, ap- 
plauding his own superior discernment, and triumphing in 
his boasted freedom from the shackles of the gospel. Necker's 
book on the Importance of Religiovs Opinions, however, 
falling accidentally into his hands, the fame of the author 
induced him to read it. Here his infidelity received a shock ; 
his mind underwent another change ; and he was partly 
brought back to religion. Some months after this again, 
Paley's Evidences of Christianity were recommended to 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



107 



I ed, if not in their oral discourses, yet by their immor- 
| tal writings, to recommend it to'the general reception 
of mankind. It was their study in life, and their 
J solace in death. 

Why then are so many of our fellow creatures found 
I to oppose, with such malignant virulence, what these 
I great men have so successfully laboured to-establish ? 
The reason, in most cases, is obvious. They will 
not have this man to reign over them because he is 
! | not to their taste. And they oppose the Bible, 
because it condemns their practice. For if Jesus is, 
I indeed, the only Saviour of mankind, and if the 
declarations of Scripture are at all to be regarded, 
their situation is desperate, and they cannot escape 
I the condemnation which is therein denounced against 
all such characters. Other reasons, however, may be 
given for such a preposterous conduct. Abundance 
of men are so neglected at first in their religious 
education, and when grown up to maturity are 
immersed in the pleasures and pursuits of life, that 
they never give themselves leisure to examine into 
the foundation of religion. They are as inattentive 
to it, as if it was none of their concern. This seems 
to have been the case with the learned Dr. Halley. 
For when he was throwing out, upon a time, some 
indecent reflections against Christianity, his friend 
Sir Isaac Newton stopt him short, and addressed 
him in these, or the like words, which imply that 
this great astronomer had employed his life in 
studying only the book of nature : — " Dr. Halley, 
I am always glad to hear you, when you speak 
about astronomy, or other parts of the mathematics, 
because that is a subject you have studied, and well 
understand ; but you should not talk of Christianity, 

him. He bought the book. He read it eagerly, twice over* 
in a little time, with great care. He was convinced — and 
became a zealous and happy Christian. This is his own ac- 
count, published in the Arminian Magazine. 



108 



A PLEA FOR RELJGION 



for yoa have not studied it ; I have ; and am certain 
you know nothing of the matter."* 

Many other persons, possessed of somediscernment, 
observe the hypocrisy of several of the greatest pre- 
tenders to religion ; they see them no better, and 
scarce even so good as some who make less preten- 
sions ; and this becomes an insuperable offence to 
them. If these discerning men, however, would 
attend more to their own conduct, and less to the 
misconduct of others, it would be much happier for 
them, and more to their honour. Can any thing be 
more unreasonable then that the gospel should be 
made answerable for all the weaknesses, vices, and 
follies of its advocates ? Will philosophy endure to 
be tried by this test ? The fact is, truth is a subborn 
thing, and' does not fluctuate with the varying whims 
and opinion of men. Every person must give an 
account of himself unto God. Hypocrites have no 
encouragement from the Bible ? Why should any 
man, therefore, make their hypocrisy an objection to 
that Bible ? Let the blame fall where it belongs. 
The fate of such persons is fixed by the Judge of the 
world himself. Their false pretentions are utterly 
disclaimed by him. " Not every one that saith unto 
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, 
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in 
heaven. Many shall say unto me in that day, Lord, 
Lord, have we not, prophesied in thy name, and in 
thy name cast out devils, and in thy name done many 
wonderful works; but then will I profess unto them, 
I never knew you ; depart from me, all ye that work 
iniquity." 

Tiie weakness, folly, and enthusiasm ; the noise and 
nonsense of the Zealotsf amongall the denominations 

* See the Life of 2Lr. Emlyn for this anecdote. There 
is a sufficient account of the reasons for Dr. Halley's infide- 
lity in Goadby's British Biograpliy, vol. viii. p. '67. 

t Tire extravagancies of some of the German Anabaptists, 
the French Prophets, the English Quakers, Puritans, and 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 109 



of Christians, is another cause of the infidelity of the 
age. Unbelievers see the absurdity of their preten- 

Methodists, have given great and just offence to many sen- 
sible and well-disposed people, and been instrumental in 
driving no small number into downright indifference to all 
religion ; while others have contracted the most inveterate 
I principles of infidelity. But shall the follies of a few mis- 
taken individuals subvert the nature of things, and the laws 
I of everlasting truth ? Because some men are weak, silly, 
i| enthusiastic, and inflamed with spiritual pride, shall we 
take upon us to say, there is no such thing as sound religion 
j end good sense in the world? This would be to make our- 
' selves as weak and culpable as those we take upon us to 
condemn. All revivals of religion have been attended with 
excesses ; all sects and parties have had, and will have 
among them, men of warm imaginations and feeble intel- 
lects; and wherever persons of this description become 
strongly impressed with the importance of religious truths, 
they seldom fail to disgrace the party to which they belong. 
There is no remedy for such unfortunate cases, but to use 
our best endeavours to restrain and keep them within the 
I bounds of moderation. This, however, is usually extremely 
' difficult; for all such persons are most commonly wiser 
I than ten men that can render a reason. They are blown up 
with self-importance, consider themselves as the peculiar 
favourites of heaven, and under the immediate teachings 
and leadings of the Divine Spirit. While this persuasion 
continues, they treat the directions of Scripture as a dead 
letter, and in vain you attempt to reduce them to order, 
and the sober dictates of reason and common sense. [*J 

[*] The Welch Methodists, among whom there is, doubt- 
less, much real piety and goodness, exceed most, if not all, 
others of the present day in their extravagancies. Begular, 
and for the most part exemplary, in their private deport- 
ment, in their religious assemblies they resemble rather the 
frantic ravings and violent distortions of the ancient heathen, 
than the sober conduct of the disciples of Christ. Little are 
the well-meaning ministers, who encourage these irregulari- 
ties, aware, how sensibly they injure the cause., they would 
promote, and with how unamiable an aspect they represent 
our lovely religion. Who, unaccustomed to these wild 
I scenes, can behold them without mingled pity an I disgust ? 
Even little children are taught to express, by their vocifera- 
tions and gesticulations, the same emotions which agitate 



110 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



sions and proceedings, and they are undistinguishing 
and liberal enough to comprehend them, and the pure 

the rest of the body. There are a few things in this busi- 
ness worthy the consideration of the reflecting part of these 
societies. 1. How is it, if these ecstacies are really the pro- 
duction of the Holy Spirit, as would, no doubt, be contended, 
that the ministers themselves are rarely, if ever, the sub- 
jects of them ? It is not uncommon to see them sit in their 
pulpits, enjoying with apparent self-complacence the effects 
which their preaching has produced ; but they seldom, it is 
believed, mingle with the throng in the expression of their 
ectatic feelings. 2. How is it that this effect should be con- 
fined to one small spot in Christendom, and that all other 
parts of the Christian world should join in considering it. as 
a delusion. "We have known Christians of the most fervent 
and exalted piety in other countries, who were never the 
subjects of such high flown ectacies. If these emotions are 
really the operation of the Spirit of God, and the pledge of 
his love to his greatest favourites, why were not the excel- 
lent Watts, the pious Hervey, the seraphic Rowe, favoured 
with them? 3. How happens it that a Welchman trans- 
ported into any other country loses all this. A Welchman, 
who had been a Jumper in his own country, came to settle 
in a situation near to the writer of this note, but never after 
that was he so affected. His master, a serious, but sober 
Christian, once ventured to ask him the reason of this, to 
which the man replied, that in England there was nothing 
worth jumping for. Poor, honest fellow ! This remark surely 
contained too just a reflection on thelukewarmnessand want 
of energy in many of our English preachers: but how is it 
then that the Welch preachers do not produce these effects in 
congregations in England, or even in the Welch among 
them ? Of this there is not, we believe, a solitary instance. 
We have lately witnessed the truth of this remark on a re- 
markable occasion. A celebrated and very excellent Welch 
preacher lately addressed a most numerous, pious, and zea- 
lous congregation, on one of the most animating subjects 
conceivable; but we do not hear of a single effect of this 
kind being produced ; whereas that same gentleman per- 
haps never addressed an ordinary W r eich congregation 
without it. I need not mention that I allude to the Rev. 
Mr. Charles, preaching to the Missionary Society. The re- 
sult can leave us no room to doubt but this is a local enthu- 
siasm, encouraged first by some well-meaning, but in this 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



Ill 



gospel of Christ, in one general sentence of reproba- 
tion. Such a conduct, is surely uncandid, and highly 
unbecoming the character of men who would be 
thought lovers of wisdom. Where we see integrity 
and good intention at the bottom, we would make 
all requisite allowance for the infirmities of men. 
The best and wisest are encompassed with dark- 
ness, and know but in part. One grain of piety and 
moral excellence is of more worth than the highest 
attainments in the arts and sciences, without these 
moral and religious qualifications. 

Others, again, take offence at the absurd doctrines 
of the several religious establishments* inChristen- 

respect weak leader, and now perhaps not easily remedied, 
and that Satan has taken advantage of it to promote two of 
his most desired purposes, namely, to delude professors of 
religion into an attention to these violences, to the neglect 
of spiritual religion ; and to prevent other men from em- 
bracing religion, by a consideration of the extravagancies 
which attend it. — Editor. 

* " It is the corruption of establishments, ten thousand 
times worse than the rudest dominion of tyranny, which has 
changed, and is changing, the face of the modern world." 
Mr. Erskine's pamphlet on the Causes and Consequences 
of the present War, from which these words are extracted, 
contains a number of important political truths, but seems 
to be by no means satisfactory in speaking on the causes of 
the war. Let any man read with sober consideration the 
Collection of Addresses transmitted by certain English 
Clubs and Societies to the National Convention of France ; 
Miles's Conduct of France towards Great Britain ; Gif- 
ford's Letter to the Earl of Lauderdale ; D'lnvernois's 
Account of the late Revolution in Geneva, ; with Bowles's 
Real Grounds of the present War with France. This 
little pamphlet is sufficiently satisfactory. Lord Morning- 
ton's Speech before the House of Commons is to the same 
purpose with the above. Harper's Observations on the 
Dispute between the United States and France, is a de- 
cisive little work. The designs of the French are therein 
completely developed. Nothing can be clearer than that 
they were the aggressors in the present contest. He that 
cannot see this, when the evidence is so plainly laid before 



112 A PLEA FOR RELTGION 

dorn. They discover in them certain peculiarities 
which they conceive to be irrational. They confound 
the doctrines of these human institutions (which 
were formed in the very dawn of the Reformation, 
while men's eyes were yet scarcely open enough to 
discover truth) with genuine Christianity. Not I 
being at the pains to examine matters to the bottom, 
and distinguish accurately, they suppose them to be 1 
alike, and hence contract a rooted indifference, ifnot 
an unconquerable aversion to all religion. 

Some there are, again, who seeing the pomp and 
pride of many of our bishops and dignified clergy, 
how they, in direct opposition to the whole spirit of 
the gospel, the example of primitive clerks, as well 
as their own holy profession, scrambiefor emolument, 1 
and heap together from two to half a score lucrative 

,• . :>£ i 

him, must be blinded by, and given up to party. In addi- 
tion to what has been advanced by these several authors, I 
beg leave here to add a declaration of Lord Aukland, Jan. 
9, 1798, in the House of Lords, in repty to Lord Holland. 
Speaking on the causes of the war, he said, " It was a war 
of necessity and not of choice ; for he himself at the time 
was sent with full powers to preserve peace, if it could 
be don ' consistently with the honour and interest of this 
country. He was to have met Dumourier on the subject ; i 
but, before the time appointed for that interview, a confi- 
dential officer came and informed him that the Directory 
had declared war against England; thus, by this pretended 
negociation, taking the o portunity to seize upon our ship- 
ping." — London Chronicle, Jan. 9—11, 1798. The above 
several publications contain the whole merits of the cause 
concerning the authors of the war. And let it terminate as ! 
it may, they will convince us that it could not have been 
avoided on any principle of honour or safety. In expecta- 
tion of subverting the government of this country, the 
French, encouraged by disaffe ted perso s in this country, 
plunged into the war. Indeed, it was, properly speaking, 
the war of English Jacobins. If the French had not been 
stimulated by persons here, there had been no war Let us 
not, however, murmur against men— the whole is of God. I 
Great and good purposes are to be answered by it, in the 
due order of Divine Providence. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



113 



places of preferment, while several thousands of their 
, brethren are destitute of the ordinary comforts of 
life, without further examination, naturally suppose 
| that religion is all priestcraft and self-interest, ho- 
nour and conscience having nothing to do in the 
business. It may be of use to state this more at large. 
It is well known, then, that there are about 18,000 
| clergymen in England and Wales of the established 
jj religion, and near 10,000 parishes. The rectories, 
l 5098 ; the vicarages, 3687 ; the livings of other de- 
|! scriptions, 2970; in all, 11,755. 
| Twenty or thirty of these livings may be 1000Z. a 
year and upwards; four or five hundred of them 
500/. a year and upwards; two thousand of them 
2007. a year and upwards; five thousand of them 
usder 100/. a year. The average value of livings is 
about 1101. a year, reckoning them at 10,000. 

As these things are not very generally understood, 
we will be a little more particular. 
In the year 1714, when Queen Anne's bounty be- 
| gan to be distributed, there were 

1071 livings not more than 10Z. a year. 

1467 '201. 

1126 30Z.j 

1149 40/. 

884 50/. 

In all, 5697 livings not more than 50/. a year a-piece. 

All the 10/. and 20/. livings have now been aug- 
mented by the above donation. 

This bounty is about 13,000/. a year, clear of de- 
ductions, and is, therefore, equal to 65 augmentations 
annually, at 203/. a-piece.* 

The whole income of the church and two universi- 
ties is about 1 ,500,000/. a year. There are 26 bishops, 

* The clergy are indebted to Bishop Burnet for this appli- 
I cation. The money itself arises from the first fruits and 
tenths of church livings, above a certain value, which, be- 
fore the time of Henry the Eighth, used to go to the Pope 
I of Rome. 

il 



114 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



whose annual income is 7*2,000?., or, according to 
another account, 92,000?.; each bishop, therefore, 
has on an average '271 01. , or 35-38/. a year, supposing 
he had no other preferment. There are 28 deaneries 
and chapters, whose income is about 5000/. a year 
each, making toget her about 140,000/. The income of 
the two universities is together about 180,000/. a vear. 
The 10,000* clergy have together about 1,108,000/. a 

* The Dissenters in England and Wales are said, by the 
late Mr. Robinson, of Cambridge, to make about a fifth part 
of the nation, consisting of near 1400 congregations. The 
Quakers are numerous, being about 50,000 ; but the Baptists 
are s ill more numerous than either the Quakers, or the 
Presbyterians, or Independents, or Moravians. To these 
should be added the Methodist preachers of the gospel. The 
regular circuit preachers in Grear Britain and Ireland, in the 
year 1807, were about 560, and the local preachers are sup- 
posed to amount to near 2400. In addition to these, they 
have about 360 preachers in America, besides local assist- 
ants. The number of missionaries in the West Indies is 30, 
besides 50 negro preachers. Hence it appears that the 
■whole number of persons who preach the gospel to the poor, 
in the Methodist connexion at present, is upwards of 4000 ; 
of which number 2000 are stationed in Great Britain, and 
the adjacent islands. The number of persons belonging to 
the societies of the late Hev. John Wesley was about 118,500 j 
in this country, 24,500 in Ireland, 157,000 in America and 
the West Indies ; in all about 300,000. The number of poor 
blacks on the continent of America, belonging to the Me- 
thodist societies, and in the West Indies, making together 
about 28,000, who have renounced their besotting sin — 
polygamy ; and, in the main, live as becomes the gospel. 
The followers of the late Rev. George Whitfield, and Lady 
Huntingdon, are said to consist of nearly an equal number 
in Great Breat Britain, though I should suppose this calcu- 
lation is rather exaggerated. It appears from Dr. White- 
head's Lives of the Wesley Family, that the name of Me- 
thodist was first bestowed upon Mr. Charles Wesley, in 
1728, at Oxford, for the exact method and order which he 
observed in spending his time and regulating his conduct. 
An origin surely truly honourable, and of which no wise 
man need be ashamed ! And then, what a highly respectable 
compliment do the " blind mouths* of tliis world pay the 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



115 



year among them, which is little more than 100L a 
! piece. The whole body of the clergy and their fa- 
milies make near 100,000 souls, that is, about an 
eightieth-part of the nation. And reckoning the po- 
pulation of England and Wales at eight millions of 
people, every clergyman would have a congregation 
of 444 persons to attend to, in the same way of cal- 
| culation. 

There are, moreover, 28 cathedrals, 26 deans, 60 
Ij archdeacons, and 544 prebemds, canons, &c. Besides 
! these, there are in all about 300 in orders belonging 
j to the different cathedrals, and about 800 lay officers, 
such as singing men, organists, &c, who are all paid 
from the cathedral emoluments ; so that there are 
I about 1700 persons attached to the several cathe- 
I drals, who divide among them the 140,000Z. a year, 
making upon an average near Sol. a year a-piece.* 

The whole income of the kirk of Scotland was, in 
1705, about 68,500Z. a year. This was divided among 
944 ministers, and on an average made 121. a-piece 
I per annum. 

Upon a general view of these matters, when it is 
considered that all the bishoprics, prebendaries, 
deaneries, headships of colleges, and best church 
livings, are occupied by a smaller number, in all pro- 
babiliy, than an eighteenth part of these clergy, what 
a deplorable situation must a large share of the 
remaining seventeen thousand ministers be in espe- 
cially under the present advanced price of most of the 
common necesaries of life? And then, it is curious 
enough that these church dignitaries, who are in 
possession of several thousands a year per man, have 
made laws directly contrary to the practice of St. 
Paul, that the inferior clergy, who are destitute of all 

Methodists, in calling every man by that name whose con- 
duet is moral, whose piety is fervent, and whose affections 
are set upon things above all? Good men in all ages have 
been what the foolish world now call Methodists. 

* See an Essay on the Revenues of the Church of England. 
H 2 



116 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



the elegancies, and many of the comforts of life, 
shall not be permitted to' follow any other calling, 
whereby to improve their condition, and get bread 
for their families. Would there be any thing incon- 
sistent with the character of a minister of the gospel 
of Christ, if the poor rectors, vicars, and curates of 
the country, should make a common cause, and asso- 
ciate together in one body against their unfeeling 
oppressors?* Could there be any impropriety in 

* Every man is an oppressor who holds that which ought 
to be in the hands of another. It does not appear to me 
that we can justly blame any man for being a Deist, while 
the great body of us, the bishops and clergy, conduct our- 
selves in the manner we usually do. The spirit of our 
hierarchy seems, in various respects, in direct opposition to 
the spirit of the Gospel. A conscientious Deist, if such can 
be found, who worships God in spirit and in truth, is infi- 
nitely preferable to a proud, haughty pompous bishop, or 
dignified clergyman, who trades in livings and soul-, and 
his condemnation will be far less severe. Whatever bishoj 8 
and clergymen of this description may profess, they are In. 
ridels at bottom. They believe nothing of the spirit of 
Christianity. Religion is their trade, and gain with them is 
godliness. They live in the spirit of the ancient Scribes and 
Pharisees, and they may expect to share in the fate oi the 
Scribes and Pharisees. — Compare Isaiah lvi. 9 — 12. Let the 
clerical reader return to the conclusi. n of Bishop Burnet's 
History of his 0)cn Times, and he will find the negligent 
bishops of the land very justly and smartly reprehended for 
their improper conduct. Mr. Ostervald, in his excellent 
Treatise concerning the Causes of the jircsent Corruption 
of Christians, attributes that corruption chiefly to the 
clergy. His words are these : — "The cause of the corrup- 
tion of Christians is chiefly to be found in the clergy. I do 
not mean to speak here of all churchmen indifferently. We 
must do right to some, who distinguish themselves by their 
talents, their zeal, and the holiness of their lives. But the 
number of these is not considerable enough to stop the 
course of those disorders which are occasioned in the church, 
by the vast multitude of remiss and corrupt pastors. These 
pull down what the others endeavour to build up." — P. 2, 
Cuu?e IK. The instances of extreme blame which attaches 
to the higher orders of the English clergy are very numer- 



I 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 11? 



their conduct, if they should peaceably and respect- 
fully address the king, who is temporal head of the 
church, or the legislature of the land, to take their 
circumstances into serious consideration? One man 
— not a whit better than his brethren— shall enjov 
20,000?. a year ; another 15,000Z.; another 10,OOOZ."; 
another 5000Z. ; another 3000?.; another 2000?.; and 
another 1000Z. One shall heap living upon living, 
i| preferment upon preferment, to a vastamount, merely 
|j because he has got access — too often by mean com- 
pliances—to some great man, while his more worthy 
I brother is almost in want of bread for his children. 
The late Dr. Law, Bishop of Carlisle, if ray memory 
do not fail me, was possessed, at the time of his de- 
I cease, of ten or more different preferments. He was 
! bishop, head of a college, prebend, rector, librarian, 
&c. &c. &c; and all this bestowed upon him — not 
because he was a more holy, useful, and laborious 
man than ordinary, though a man of merit and talents 
— but because he wriggled himself into favour with 
' certain great persons, who had influence with men in 
I power. Instances of this kind are not uncommon. 
They are, however, unjust, impolitic, and unchristian. 
No wise legislature ought to permit such abuses, re- 
ligion being out of the question. They are inconsis- 

ous. A certain gentleman, not a hundred miles from my 
own neighbourhood, whom I could name, is possessed of 
about 1000Z. a year, private fortune. He is a married man, 
* but without any children. He has one living in Cheshire, of 
the value of more than 400Z. a year ; another in Esses, and 
another elsewhere, the three together making 1000Z. a year, 
more or less. He is, moreover, chaplain to a Company, and 
private tutor in a nobleman's family. But what is most 
culpable is, that he resides upon none of his livings, and 
very seldom comes near them, though a lusty, healthful 
man. Can that church be faultless, which permits such 
horrible abuses ? The bishops themselves, however, being 
generally guilty of holding a variety of preferments, and of 
most inexcusable non-residence, are disposed to connive at 
every thing of the kind among the superior clergy who are 
under their inspection. 



118 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



tent with every thins: decent and proper, while so 
many valuable, learned, laborious, humble, modest 
men, are pining in want. I know well that reflec- 
tions of this nature are calculated to disoblige those 
who are interested ; bat regardless of consequences, 
without the least dislike to any man living, or the 
smallest view to any one individual, or a wish to have 
any thing better for myself, and actuated only with 
a love to truth, and the advancement of our common 
Christianity, I, for one, protest, in theface of the sun, 
against all such abuses. And I, moreover, solemnly 
avow, that the spirit of the present times is such, 
that unless these and similar disorders are rectified 
by the wisdom of the legislature, the ecclesiastical 
fabric in this country will, ere long, be as completely 
overturned as that of France has been.* Nothing 
can prevent it but a speedy and thorough reformation. 
If the bishops of the land, as first in dignity, would 
be first in this grand work; if they would make a 
merit of necessity, and, like Bishop Wilson, resign 
voluntarily what they cannot long possess in safety ; 
if they would make an offer to their king and country 
of withdrawing from the Upper House ;f resigning 

*The church of France, before the Revolution, consisted 
of 18 archbishops, 118 bishops, 386,264 clergy, regular and 
secular, who together enjoyed a revenue of about five milli- 
ons sterling. The kingdom was divided into 34,49S parishes, 
besides 4644 annexed parishes ; in all 39,142 parishes. 

t This, I believe, is an abuse unknown in any other Pro- 
testant church in Europe, and would never have been sub- 
mitted to in the purest age of Christianity. TTould to God 

our governors in church and state could set it right to 

but what shall I say? Why should I desire changes, every 
thing but impossible ? It is because I wish as well as any 
man in England to my king and country, that I desire every 
thing to be removed that may provoke the divine displea- 
sure against us, as a nation and people, and bring on the 
total dissolution of the political frame of things. The wishes 
of an obscure clergyman, however, will be less in the scale, 
than the smallest dust upon the balance, when weighed 
against the vast body of archdeacons, rectors, vicars, curates, 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



i| all their secular honours, and commence genuine 
I ministers of the gospel. Or should this be too much 
to expect, if they would renounce their several plu- 
ralities,* and quietly retire into their respective dio- 

j lecturers, commissaries, chancellors, proctors, surrogates 
&c. &c. with which our church abounds. We clergymen 
I should do well frequently to study the 34th chapter of 
I Ezekiel. It might do us much good. The following address 
of Cowper is also worthy our attention : — 

" Ye clergy, while your orbit is your place, 
Lights of the world, and stars of human race ; 
But if eccentric, ye forsake your sphere, 
Prodigious, ominous, and view'd with fear; 
The comet's baneful influence is a dream, 
Your's real and pernicious in th' extreme." 



" Oh laugh or mourn with me, the rueful jest, 

A cassock* d huntsman, and a fiddling priest; 

He from Italian songsters takes his cue ; 

Set Paul to music, he shall quote him too. 

He takes the field! the Master of the pack 

Cries, "Well done, Saint!— and claps him on the back. 

Is this the path of sanctity? Is this 

To stand a way -mark in the road to bliss? 

Himself a wand'rer from the narrow way, 

His silly sheep, what wonder if they stray ?" 



** The sacred function in your hands is made 
Sad sacrilege ! — no function, but a trade." 

Progress of Error. 
* It is no uncommon thing for the bishops of our church 
to hold such preferments as are utterly incompatible with 
each other. The late Dr. Hinchcliffe was at the same time 
Bishop of Peterborough, and Master of Trinity College in 
Cambridge. As bishop, he ought, by every law of honour, 
and conscience, and the gospel, to have been resident in his 
diocese among his clergy and people. As Master of Trinity, 
his presence could not, in general, be dispensed with. We 
have had others, who enjoyed, at-the same time, several in- 
compatible preferments— a bishopric — a headship of a col- 
lege — a prebendary — a rectory — and other emolumants. As 
bishop, a man ought to be in his own diocese ; as head of a 
college, he must be resident; as prebend, certain duties are 
due ; as rector of a parish his absence cannot be dispensed 



120 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

ceses, never appearing in the great Council of the na- 
tion but when absolutely wanted ; if they would come | 

with. And, I might add, as a Lord of Parliament, his pre- 
sence is frequently and justly required. What account their 
Lordships can give, either to God or man, for such of the i 
preferments as are absolutely incompatible one with another, 1 
it behoves them well to consider. Such examples have a 
deadly effect upon the interests of religion. Were they to ' 
preach like St. Paul, who would regard them, who sees that 
they do not believe their own professions? No rank, no 
talents, no learning, no erood sense, no respectability, can 
excuse such a conduct. We are continually hearing of the 
rapid spread of infidelity. The bishops of London and 
Durham, in their late excellent Charges, are loud in their 
complaints. But what appears surprising to me is, that 
they and others should speak so strongly of the overthrow 
of Christianity in France. By their leave, and with all due 
submission, it is not Christianity which iias experienced a 
subversion there. It is the doctrine of Antichrist ; and its 
subversion will ultimately prove one of the greatest blessings 
God could bestow upon the nations. But who is T to blame 
for the spread of Infidelity ? The bishops and clergy of the 
land more than any other people in it. We, as a body of 1 
men, are almost solely and exclusively culpable. Our neg- 
ligence, lukewarmness, worldly mindedness, and immorality, 
will ruin the whole country. And when the judgments of | 
God come upon the land, they will fall peculiarly heavy 
upon the heads of our order of men. One word upon the 
situation of the unhappy Irish. We cry out against them 
for their rebellious conduct ; and to be sure they are ex- 
tremely to blame in many respects. Is there not,* however, 
a cause, an apparent cause at least, for their dissatisfaction ? 
The grievances of the Protestant part of the people are 
many and considerable. The late Lord Bristol, for instance, 
Bishop ofDerry, whose bishopric is said to have been 15,000?. 
a year, was rambling over Europe, and did not set foot in 
his diocese for several years; some have reported for 
twenty-four. [*] This is a specimen of the treatment which 

[*] It is not a little remarkable, that the late Act for 
" enforcing the residence of spiritual persons on their liv- 
ings," contains an express exemption in favour of the 
bishops, who are therefore placed by it under no obligation 
of residing even on their diocese, a provision which some 
may think not without its utility. The principal part of 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



121 



among 1 their clergy, converse with them freely ; and 
I treat them as brethren ; if they would go about doing 

of the provisions of the Act are calculated to facilitate, and 
even license, non-residence ; an abuse which, if we may 
credit Bishop Burnet, was not even tolerated in the church 
of Rome (see the conclusion of the History of his Oivn 
Times) ; and so little has been the operation of this Act in 
I enforcing residence, that the Editor has been told by per- 
il sons well informed, that in the diocese of Xondon itself 
| there are scarcely six instances of the clergy who have been 
! compelled to reside under it. It is observed by Selden 
(Table Talk, 139), that " the people thought they had a 
great victory over the clergy, when in Henry VHIth's time 
they got their Bill passed, ' that a clergyman should have 
but two livings.' " It will be well if the late Acts be not 
found to establish certain principles, which in the result 
will make both the clergy and people sensible that they have 
lost a great victory in being deprived of the advantages 
of a common law tribunal. — Editor. 

churchmen meet with. Can we wonder if they, as well as 
the Catholics and Dissenters, should murmur ? Ireland 
would, in all probability, have been lost to England, had 
not the mad and bloody zeal of the Catholics, those hellish 
wretches, united the Protestants in their own defence, for 
the protection of their lives and properties. There are 
twenty-two bishops who preside over the established church 
in Ireland, at the expense of 74,000Z. a year, which is at the 
rate of 3,368?. per annum a man, besides all their other pre- 
ferments. Some of them are known to be very worthy cha- 
racters ; but others, like the one just mentioned, are ex- 
tremely to blame, though surely not in the same degree. 
While such are the shepherds, no wonder if the sheep go 
astray. Ought we to be surprised if Catholics, Dissenters, 
and Methodists succeed in making converts 1 If Infidelity 
abound, and run like wildfire among the people ? If they 
complain, wish to overturn such a system of corruption, and 
rise in rebellion for the purpose ? Nothing but true religion, or 
a sense of the impolicy of the measure, can restrain them. 
I do affirm again and again, that the slothful and tempo- 
rising bishops and clergy of Europe are the main authors of 
the present miseries of Europe ; and we may justly and in- 
fallibly expect Divine Providence will, ere long, kick us off 
our perches, as has been the case in other countries, and 
give our offices and emoluments to those who are more 



122 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



good, in all condescension and humility, through 
their several districts, preaching the word of life in 

worthy of them. Nothing can save us, unless we turn over 
a new leaf, and become alive to the interests — not of the 
church as a secular institution — but to the interests of pure, 
disinterested, evangelical religion. What might not the 
18,000 clergymen in this country do, were we all zealously 
concerned for the honour of the Lord Jesus, and the salva- 
tion of the people committed to our care ? The face of 
things, in every moral point of view at least, would be ex- 
tremely different. What a horrible hell shall we parsons 
have when we leave our present beds cf down 1 How will 
the devils exult over millions of full-fed bishops, doctors, 
and dignified dons, who have rioted upon the spoils of the 
church, and neglected or abused their holy charge ? I add 
further, that among other causes of complaint in our sister 
kingdom, many of the bishoprics are filled up by the viceroy 
from among the English clergy, and the best livings are 
possessed by Englishmen. Hence a very frequent non-resi- 
dence. Every impartial person must consider this as a real 
grievance. The Irish clergy, indeed, are, taking them with 
some few honourable exceptions, in a state truly deplorable, 
and the great mass of the laity not less so, considered in 
every religious point of view. What wonder if the people, 
left to perish by their ministers for lack of knowledge, 
should rise up and cut the throats of those ministers 1 This 
is a just re-action of Providence. We talk of the wild Irish, 
and speak of them as being little raised above a state of 
savage nature. Let it be considered who is to blame for all 
this. The bishops and clergy, I vow. But the fault is 
greatly in the ecclesiastical part of the constitutions of the 
two countries, which will permit the clerical order of men 
to receive the emoluments of the church, without perform- 
ing the business for which we are paid. No man can surely 
say that a reform here would do us any harm ! But if a 
reform in church matters is never to be brought about till 
the bishops and clergy themselves embark in it, there is 
much reason to fear the event is at no little distance. I 
must, however, do my own order the justice to observe, 
that, in former periods, whatever reformations in religion 
have been brought forward, some of the clergy have been 
the most active and effective instruments. God sends us 
again a few more Wickliffs, Cranmers, Latimers, Ridieys, 
Hookers, and Gilpins, to deliver us from the remaining 
dregs of Popish superstition which cleave to us, that the 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



123 



an evangelical strain among the people, after the 
example of the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls, 
and his apostles; if they would renounce their pomp 
and splendour, and set their faces in good earnest 
against all monopolies of livings; against non-resi- 
dents ; against all immoral, disorderly, and irreligious 
clergymen : if they would be the zealous and avowed 
friends and patrons of laborious pastors in particular, 
and of good men of every description in general, then 
would the church of England soon become more than 
ever, the glory of all churches, and the bishops of that 
church would be the glory of all bishops. 

It is, however, not to be doubted, that men, pos- 
sessed of the loaves and fishes, will laugh at all this 
as visionary and enthusiastic 

"I know the warning song is sung in vain, 
That few will hear, and fewer heed the strain." 

Be it so. I have only to replv — Look at the 
bishops and clergy of France ! They now think 
themselves hardly treated. But, as a body, they 
had been excessively to blame ; and their present 
sufferings are proportionate to their former culpabi- 
lity. Happy w ; ll it be for us, if their negligence and 
misfortunes make us wise and cautious ! The fate of 
the Jewish clergy of old, and of the French, Dutch, 
Flemish, Italian, and Swiss clergy of our own times, 
comes like a peal of thunder, preaching reform — 
real, and effectual, and speedy reform, to the clergy 
of every country. 

You see then, my countrymen, that I, for one, 
give up all these abuses as indefensible. Every man 
of common sense and observation, whose eyes are 

throne of our excellent king may he permanent as the 
days of heaven, and the British churches become the glory 
and envy of the whole world ! 

" Triumphant here may Jesus reisrn, 

And on his vineyard sweetly smile ; 
While all the virtues of his train 
Adorn our church and bless our isle !" 



124 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



not blinded by prejudice, and whose mind is not 
closed by sinful habits and self-interest, must see 
that they are wrong. But, be it remembered, that 
whatever means Divine Providence may use to cor- 
rect them— for corrected in due time they must be — 
the gospel of Christ is not to be blamed for them. It. 
gives them no countenance ; it predicts their rise, 
their continuance, their downfall ; and it denounces 
nothing less than the most extreme condemnation 
against all those who pervert the Divine ordinances 
to secular and self-interested purposes. It is neither 
emperors, nor kiugs, nor popes, nor archbishops, nor 
bishops, nor clergymen of any inferior description, 
that shall escape the just sentence of the universal 
Judge. He will make no distinction. He knows no 
difference between man and man, but what moral and 
religious qualifications make. "Whatsoever a per- 
son soweth, that shall he also reap." Mighty sinners 
shall be mightily punished. Eminently good and 
useful men shall be eminently rewarded. 

To this head let it be further added, that discern- 
ing men, observing the conduct, character, and pre- 
cepts of the Saviour of the world, and comparing 
them with the conduct and manners of our church 
dignitaries, cannot help seeinga very strikingcontrast. 
His kingdom was not to be of this world, but the 
conduct of our bishops is in a great measure secular. 
His meat and drink was to do the will of him that 
sent hinj. He literally "went about doing good." 
He preached every where, and to all descriptions of 
men. A genuine patriot, he was never weary of 
contributing to the happiness of his country. "He 
was frequently in the temple, but never in thepalace, 
except when dragged thither by force. Our learned 
prelates,* however, are so occupied in the great 

* Among the bishops of the Church of England may be 
found a considerable number of characters the most consi- 
derable for every moral, literary, and religious attainment, 
and the country is under the utmost obligation to them for 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



125 



council of the nation, in dancing attendance at court, 
in guarding their secular emoluments from waste, in 
visiting the nobility and gentry of the land, and in 
i other worldly engagements of various descriptions, 
that they have but little time left either for reading 
the Scriptures, for private retirement, or for preaching 
the gospel to the poor of the flock, in their respective 
J districts.* To hear a bishop preach is a sort of 

II their exertions at different periods of our history. But we're 
any individuals among them ever so desirous, they had it 
not in their power to rectify abuses, and reform what they 
may conceive to be amiss. The system is' too compact and 
well-digested. Their hands are tied behind them. The 
prejudice of some, the interests of others, the supineness of 
not a few, and the fears of disturbing the long-established 
order of things, in most, form an insuperable barrier against 
every reform ; insomuch that nothing, it is to be feared, 
can accomplish any considerable change for the better, but 
a convulsion. If, indeed, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and 
the whole bench of bishops, had discernment, and humility, 
and public spirit, and -self-denial enough, to come forward 
of their own accord, and with one consent desire an ameli- 
orated state of things, there might be some hope. But, 
that six-and-twenty interested men should be brought to 
concur in a business of this sort, seems next to an impossi- 
bility. The sacrifice is too great ! Human nature is too 
frail to make it. 

* Bishops ought assuredly to reside in their dioceses 
among their clergy, preaching in season and out of season ; 
countenancing and encouraging the good ; reproving, ex- 
horting, warning, punishing the unworthy and immoral part 
of their clergy. The contrary to this, however, is very 
frequently the case. If a man happens to have got a little 
more zeal than ordinary, and labours more diligently to do 
good than the generality of his brethren, immediately they 
are all in arms against him. And nothing is more common, 
than for his ecclesiastical superiors to frown on him, to 
stigmatize him as a Methodist, and to oppose his interests 
in every way they can contrive. "Whereas, a clergyman 
may be a man of pleasure and dissipation ; gay, foolish, 
silly, trifling ; he may spend his time in the diversions of 
the field, drink, swear, and live as foolishly as the most 
foolish of his flock, and yet no harm shall happen. He is 



126 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



phenomenon in the country. And if any of that truly 
respectable, body of men— some of whom are both 

no Methodist, and therefore every favour shall he shown 
him which he can desire. Methodism is like the sin against 
the Holy Ghost, it is neither to be forgiven in this world, 
nor in the world to come ! Be it, however, observed, that 
the increase of Dissenters, and the alarming spread of Me- | 
thodism, are hoth entirely owing to the lukewarmness, or 
negligence, or disorderly conduct, or bigotry, or persecuting 
spirit of the clergy in the establishment. And there is no 
way under heaven of preventing the most mischievous con- 
sequences, but by adopting new measures, reforming what 
is amiss, and out-preaching, out-labouring, and outliving all 
our opposers. The pride of office has injured us extremely. 
The disdain frequently expressed by us against the several 
sectarists has been highly impolitic, and sometimes un- 
christian. Has not every man living the same right to 
worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience 
that we have ? To his own master each one may give an 
account. He that worships God most spiritually, and obeys 
him most universally, believing in the name of his only 
begotten Son, is the best man, and most acceptable to the 
Divine Being, whether he be found in a church, in a Quaker's 
meeting-house, in a dissenting place of worship of any other 
description, or upon the top of a mountain. How long 
shall we be carried away by weak and superstitious dis- 
tinctions ? " In every nation," and among all denomina- 
lions of men, " he that feareth God, and worketh righte- 
ousness, is accepted with him." And if God will accept, 
why should not man i The Saviour of the world himself 
hath given us an infallible definition of a Gospel-church : — 
" Where two or three are gathered together in my name, 
there am I in the midst of them." Let any man consult 
Locke on Toleration, and he can have no doubt on his 
mind concerning the liberality of the genuine Gospel of our 
blessed Saviour. It has been the custom of the established 
clergy of all countries, for many ages, to arrogate to them- 
selves a kind of infallibility. Nay, I might add, there is 
scarcely a parson among us all, whether Churchman, Me- 
thodist, Quaker, or Dissenter of any other description, that 
has not got a church, a chapel, or a meeting-house in his 
belly. We are all popes in our own way ; at least, every 
denomination has its imperious and overbearing dictators. 
Let no man, however think the worse of the New Testament 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



great and good men, and, independent of such con- 
siderations, I hope ever to reverence them for their 

J religion because of the different hobby-horses which we 
parsons think proper to ride. Our order has had its day ; 
j and a pretty long day it has been ! The pope has ridden 
the bishops, the bishops have ridden the priests, and the 
| priests have ridden the people. The tables, however, are 
! now turning, though late ; and we parsons must be con- 
tent to be ridden by the people. But if the people, in their 
I zeal for freedom, should proceed to cast off the Divine 
[l yoke, there is some danger ! If they should insolently re- 
j ject the authority of Jesus Christ, our only Lord, and Mas- 
1 ter, and Saviour, he " will visit their offences with a rod, 
and their sin with scourges." He has a right to our services. 
" We are not our own, but are bought with a price," and 
| no man shall refuse him subjection, and prosper. Every 
thinking person must feel that he is a dependent creature, 
and insufficient for his own happiness ; a sinful creature, 
and incapable of atoning for his own transgressions. I have 
said above, that among the bishops of the church of Eng- 
land may be found a considerable number of characters the 
I most respectable for every moral, literary, and religious at- 
tainment. I add too, again, that several of the bishops and 
clergy of the Irish church have been also highly respectable, 
as well as many of the inferior order of our own clergy. 
So likewise have been many of the bishops and clergy of 
the French church. Usher, the Irish archbishop, for in- 
stance, was not only a pious man, but even a walking library, 
in point of learning. The late Archbishop Newcome was a 
character of the most respectable literary kind. Bishop War- 
burton, no mean judge, used to say of Bishop Taylor, " he 
had no conception of a greater genius upon earth than was 
that holy man." Where too was there ever a more admirable 
character than the author of Telemachus 1 or learned men 
than Calmet, Du Pin, Montfaucon, and others among the 
French clergy 'I Our own Cotes, though but a private cler- 
gyman, and young in years at the time of his decease, is 
said by Bishop Watson to have been second to none but 
Newton in sublimity of philosophic genius. But as the 
learning, piety, genius, and amiable manners of Fenelonand 
his brethren could not excuse and make tolerable the cor- 
ruptions of the church of France, so neither can the learn- 
ing, genius, and piety of the bishops and clergy of England 
and Ireland excuse and make justifiable the more tolerable 



128 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

office sake— do vouchsafe, once in a way, as an ex- 
treme favour, to indulge the people where theyhap- 

corruptions of the churches of these two countries. We 
must either simplify and evangelize our ecclesiastical con- 
stitutions, or they must fall. I speak this, not from any ( 
personal pique or disappointment, not from a love of novelty ' 
and change, but upon the authority of the Prophetic Scrip- 
tures — with a view to the near completion of the 1260 | 
mystical years — and from a solemn and awful contempla- 
tion of' the revolutions which are so rapidly taking place 
through all Europe. England may, and I trust will, be 
protected by Divine Providence for a time : " the iniquity 
of the Amorites may not yet be full," but the great nation, 
as they vain-gloriously call themselves, must ultimately 
succeed in their designs, unless a radical reformation should, 
engage the Lord on our side, and prevent our national ruin. , 
Great tenderness, however, ought to be exercised towards 
our governors, both in church and state, upon this delicate 
subject; because, whenever a king succeeds to the throne 
of these lands, he swears to maintain the church in its 
present state, because all important changes are attended 
with serious danger to the very existence of society — witness 
the revolution in France — and because Judge Blackstone, in 
his " Commentaries," delivers it as his opinion, that no 
alteration can take place, either in the constitution or 
Liturgy of the church of England, consistently with the Act 
of Union.— Introduction, sect. 4. [*] But if this be the 

[*] Though it was certainly stipulated at the time of the 
Union that no alteration should ever afterwards take place 
in the doctrine, discipline, worship, or government of the 
church of England, yet on two recent occasions the legisla- 
ture, yielding perhaps to the force of the suggestion con- 
tained in our author's next note, has thought fit to break 
through this restriction, at the solicitations of the bishops, 
and for the purpose of augmenting their powers. See a pam- 
phlet on the recent extension of the powers of their lord- 
ships the bishops, published by Longman and Co. But 
whatever might be the occasion, we may draw from the 
circumstance a most cheering conclusion, which, could it 
have had its force on the excellent mind of our author, 
would have dissipated much of the gloom with which on 
this subject it was evidently oppressed, namely, that the 
Parliament now no longer considers itself as bound down 
by the strict conditions of the Union, but at liberty to make 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



129 



pen to spend a little time, they usually affect so much 
pomp and dignity in their manner, and their dis- 
ease, the Act of Union was unwisely managed. What right 
has any one generation to legislate for all future genera- 
tions ? and especially to tie up their hands from making 
changes and improvements adapted to the taste of revolving 
ages ? Upon this principle C hristianity itself, and even the 
present constitution of England, is an improper innovation 
on the wisdom of former age-;. It is evident, from the op- 

any alterations it may deem conducive to the advantage of 
the church. From this beginning we may doubtless augur 
the most happy consequences, no less than a full and tho- 
rough (though, perhaps, gradual) revision of the whole of 
our ecclesiastical constitution. The old and mouldering 
fabric will, doubtless, undergo a complete repair, the decayed 
or faulty materials taken down, the good preserved and 
strengthened, the rubbish cast away. The revenues of the 
clergy will be more equalized, the powers of the bishops 
moderated and defined, the liberties and rights of the infe- 
rior clergy, as a necessary consequence, more regarded, and 
better secured ; our ecclesiastical courts, those remaining 
badges of our spiritual bondage, either totally abolished, or 
greatly reformed, their proceedings no longer enveloped in 
the mystery of darkness, but regularly published like those 
of our other courts ; the canon law, or at least that sore 
and grievous burden to clerical consciences, the mystical 
oath of canonical obedience, entirely done away. The cases 
of collegiate and clerical subscriptions candidly re-considered. 
In short, whatever may exist in our church matters, inca- 
pable of abiding the test of reason and Scripture, will, 
doubtless, (now the passage is free and open,) by our excellent 
government and present enlightened administration, be rec- 
tified. As to the coronation oath, its purport appears to 
have been misconceived. According to the old construction 
of it, nothing could have amounted to a more direct viola- 
tion of it, than the Acts of Parliament to which I have above 
alluded ; but, according to the present construction, it does 
not appear to extend to any parliamentary proceedings ; 
where the king acts only in compliance with the wish of 
the nation, expressed by its two great representative bodies. 
And this is the view in which it has of late years been re- 
garded. See a letter to a nobleman, by C. Butler, Esq. — 
Editor. 



I 



130 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



courses, are so dry and unevaii2;elical,so stiff, so cool, 
so essaical, so critical, so ethical, so heathen-like, 
that the poor of the flock can receive little or no benefit 
and edification. 

These learned gentlemen are so horribly afraid of 
approaching too near the Methodists,* both in their 

position of the late Bishop Rochester to the abolition of 
holidays, that we may not expect from the bench of Bishops 
the smallest concession towards reformation in the ecclesi- 
astical part of our constitution. To me, however, what we 
usually call holidays appear in the light of very serious 
evils to the community. Let a man conscientiously observe 
the Lord's day, and I will excuse him every other holiday 
in the calendar. 

* Methodist is a term of reproach which has been made 
use of for many years in this country, to stigmatize all the 
most serious, zealous, and lively professors of religion. It 
is not confined to any one sect or party, but is common, 
more or less, to all who are peculiarly animated in the con- 
cerns of religion. In the Church of England, as by law 
established, all those ministers and people are called Method- 
ists, who believe, and preach, and contend for the doctrines 
of the thirty-nine articles of religion. And Arians, Socini- 
ans, Armmians, and formalists of every description, who 
continue to attend public worship in the establishment, are 
considered by the undiscerning world as her true members. i 
In short, all who embrace, with a lively and zealous faith, 
the doctrines of the said thirty-nine articles, among all the 
denominations of Christians, are by way of ignominy deno- 
minated Methodists. To be zealous, in the most important 
of all concerns, is to be held as a proverb of reproach ! 
You may be a zealous philosopher, a zealous politician, or a 
zealous socialist of almost every description, and you shall 
meet with approbation and praise, but if you discover any 
considerable degree of warmth and zeal for the grand pecu- 
liarities of the gospel, and vital, practical, experimental ; 
religion, then the devil and all his industrious servants will 
stigmatize you with every name which they consider as op- 
probrious and disgraceful. Indeed, Methodist is, in the 
nineteeth century, what Puritan was in the seventeenth. 
After the restoration, people, to show their aversion to the 
Puritans, turned every appearance of religion into ridicule, 
and from the extreme of hypocrisy, flew at once into that 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



131 



diocese, doctrines, and manner of preaching, that their 
sermons are most commonly cast more in the mould 
of Seneca or Epictetus, than in that of St. Paul, and 
delivered with ail the apathy of an ancient philosopher. 

" How oft, when Paul has serv'd us with a text, 
Has Epictetus, Plato, Tully preach' d (" 

Hence these learned prelates are found to do but little 
good. Such preaching never was of much use to the 
Christian church. " Christ crucified," alone, u is the 
power of God unto salvation." Now and then, indeed, 
in the course of three, four, five, six, or sometimes 
even ten or twelve years, these shepherds of Christ's 
flock parade through the country, paying their re- 
spects to the great, and holding confirmations; but 
where is the spirit of a Peter and a Paul to be dis- 
covered ? Or, to come nearer to what might be 
expected, where is the spirit of a Burnet,* a Leigh- 
ton,! a Beveridge, a Hall, a Ken, a Bedell, a Reynolds, 

of profligacy ; so now abundance of people are so alarmed 
at the idea of being thought Methodists, that they absolutely 
give up the peculiar doctrines of the gospel, and become 
as lukewarm and indifferent to all religion as though it 
were no part of their concern. And yet these wiseacres, in 
the true spirit of the ancient Scribes and Pharisees, keep 
roaring out, church and king ! the church! " the temple of 
the Lord ! the temple of the Lord are we V 

* " This excellent man was extremely laborious in his 
episcopal office. Every summer he made a tour, for six 
weeks or two months, through some district of his bishopric, 
daily preaching and confirming from church to church, so 
as in the compass of three years, besides his triennial visi- 
tation, to go through all the principal livings of his diocese." 
— See BiorjrapJi. Brit. art. Burnet, by Kippis, vol. iii. p. 29. 

tLeighton was a most exemplary character, both in his 
private and public capacity. The life and writings of few 
men are more worthy of imitation and perusal. He laboured 
hard to bring about some reformation in the state of things 
in his own day, and when he found all his efforts ineffectual, 
he quietly withdrew, resigned his preferment, and lived in 
private. What Burnet says of him can never be too often 
repeated, and too generallv known ; — " He had the greatest 
i 2 



132 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



or a Wilson to be seen? Our confirmations, and I 
may add, even our ordinations* for the sacred minis- 
elevation of soul, the largest compass of knowledge, the 
most mortified and heavenly disposition, that I ever vet 
saw in mortal. He had the greatest parts, as well as 
virtue, with the most perfect humility that I ever saw 
in man, and had a sublime strain in preaching, with so 
grave a gesture, and such a majesty both of thought, of 
language, and pronunciation, that I never once saw a wan- 
dering eye where he preached, and I have seen whole as- 
semblies often melt in tears before him ; and of whom I 
can say with great truth, that in a free and frequent con- 
versation with him for about two and twenty years, I never 
knew him say a word that had not a direct tendency to 
edification ; and I never once saw him in any other temper, 
but which I wished to be in, in the last moments of my 
life." Mr. Locke gives us a similar account of Dr. Edward 
Pococke, " I can say of him what few men can say of any 
friend of theirs, nor I of any other of my acquaintance, that 
I don't remember I ever saw him in any one action, that I 
did, or couid, in my mind blame or thought amiss in him." — 
Letter to Mr. Smith, of Dartmouth. 

* Bishop Burnet took large pains in preparing young people 
for confirmation, and used every means in his power to 
encourage and excite candidates for ordination to come 
with due qualifications. He complains, however, in the 
most affecting terms, of the low state in which they usually 
appeared before him. — See the preface to his Pastoral Care, 
third edition. The state of things is not much improved 
since that great prelate's day. We have at this time, indeed, 
a very considerable number of men in the establishment of 
the utmost respectability both for learning, piety, and dili- 
gence in their calling ; but, when we consider that the 
clergy of this country, independent of Scotland and Ireland, 
are supposed to make, as before noted, a body of eighteen 
thousand men, the number of truly moral, religious, and 
diligent, characters is comparatively small. This is one 
main reason of the prodigious increase of Methodism, and, 
for the same reason, infidelity is at this moment running 
like wild-fire among the great body of the common people. 
There never was a time when there was a greater need of 
zeal, and humility, and condescension, and piety, diligence 
and attention to the grand peculiarities of the gospel in our 
bishops and clergy, than in the present day. If we, as a 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



133 



try, though good in themselves, appointed by the 
highest authority, and calculated to serve the interests 
of religion in no "small degree, are dwindled into pain- 
ful and disgusting ceremonies, as they are usually 
administered, to serious and enlightened minds. 
Besides, is it to be supposed, that the whole of a 
bishop's business is to ordain ministers and hold con- 
firmations, to spend their time in secular engage- 
ments, and to attend their place in the House of 
Lords ? Is it for these purposes solely they are each 
of them paid by the public from two to twenty 
thousand pounds a year ? 

" Good, my brother, 

Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, 

Show me the .steep and thorny way to heaven, 

Whilst, like a careless libertine, 

Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads." 
Can we, or ought we to be surprised, that many of 
our worthy countrymen, should be drawn aside into 
the paths of Infidelity, when it is considered what is 
the general conduct of our spiritual superiors, and 
how the above sacred ordinances are frequently ad- 
ministered? Is it possible the Scriptures should be 
true, and our secular and lukewarm, our negligent 
and unpreaching bishops, be in favour with the Di- 
vine Being? If they are in safety for a future state, 
surely religion must have changed its nature. Their 
episcopal conduct is the reverse of St. Paul's injunc- 
tions to Timothy, and the bishops of the churches of 
Asia, " to give themselves wholly to the work of the 
ministry," and to " take heed to all the flock, over 
which the Holy Ghost hath made them overseers, to 

great body of men paid by the state for the purpose, rouse 
not speedily from our supine condition, and come boldly 
and manfully forward — not in a fiery persecuting spirit, but 
in the spirit of our Divine Master— we shall neither have 
churches to preach in, nor people to preach to. Let the 
bishops and clergy of England look at their brethren in 
France — and arise— set out on a new plan— or be for ever 



134 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



feed the church of God, which he hath purchased 
with his own blood." The Lordof the invisible world 
hath said, and he who hath the keys of death and 
hell hath said, " Strive to enter in at the strait gate, 
for many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able : 
wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadetlrto 
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat ; 
because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, 
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find 
it." If commands and declarationslike these are true, 
then woe! woe! to the bishops of England ! May we 
not say of them, with too general an application, but 
with some few honourable exceptions indeed, as good 
old Bishop Latimer said of his most reverend and 
right reverend brethren in his day — " There is a gap 
in hell as wide as from Calais to Dover, and it is all 
filled with unpreaching prelates ! M * 

* Latimer's words are — " 0 that a man might have the 
contemplation of hell, that the devil would allow a man to 
look into hell, to see the estate of it ; if one were admitted, 
to view hell thus, and beholding it thoroughly, the devil 
should say, 1 On yonder side are punished unpreaching; pre- 
lates,' I think a man should see as far as a kenning, and 
perceive nothing but unpreaching prelates ; he might look 
as far as Calais, I warrant you." — Sermon 8, vol. i. p. 155. 
Loud. 1791. I will mention another anecdote to the same 
purpose: — "A learned friar in Italy, famous for his learning 
and preaching, was commanded to preach before the Pope 
at a year of Jubilee ; and to be the better furnished, he re- 
paired thither a good while before to Eome, to see the 
fashion of the conclave, to accommodate lis sermon the 
better. When the day came he was to preach, having 
ended his prayer, he, looking a long time about, at last 
cried with aloud voice three times, " St. Peter was a fool! — 
St. Peter was a fool ! — St. Peter was a fool I" Which words 
ended, he came out of the pulpit. Being afterwards con- 
vented before the Pope, and asked why he so carried himself, 
he answered, " Surely, holy father, if a priest may go to 
heaven abounding in wealth, honour and preferment, and 
live at ease, never or seldom preach, then surely St. Peter 
was a fool, who took such a hard way in travelling, in fast- 
ing, in preaching, to go thither." — Whiston's Memoirs of 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



135 



Let not the reader suppose that I have any preju- 
I dice against a bishop or a clergyman as such. There 
are some whose learning, piety, diligence, zeal, and 
J talents, I prodigiously admire ; and I myself am of 
j the clerical order by the most conscientious choice 



Jus own Life, p. 362. Most of our English bishops are at 
this day, infa very strong sense, unpreaching prelates. The 
Bishop of London, however, and some few more, are ex- 
ceptions to this general rule. If the present times, and the 
awful predicament in which every clergyman now stands, 
will not rouse us to a sense of danger, and a greater degree 
of zeal and diligence in our calling, we shall richly deserve 
our approaching, impending, inevitable fate, unless pre- 
vented by a speedy and tffectual return to evangelical 
principles and practices. The Gospel is either true, or^it is 
false. If it be false, let us cast off the mask, and appear in 
our true colours. If it be true, let us conduct ourselves as 
though we believed it to be so; and leave no stone unturned, 
no means untried, to promote its spread and influence 
among the world in general, and among the people com- 
mitted to our care in particular. 

* [How, it may be asked, can this declaration be recon- 
ciled with the result as contained in the second Appendix 1 
Were we at liberty to consider the expression, " clerical 
order," as referring to the ministerial office at large, un- 
confined to the particular denomination of the church of 
England, the solution would not be difficult, since the 
author himself, who was not of the Daubenian school, in 
that Appendix has made the obvious distnction between 
being a minister of the Gospel in and out of the establish- 
ment : for after having declared that he did not see how he 
could, " either in honour or conscience continue to officiate 
any longer as a minister of the Gospel in the establishment," 
he afterwards declares, " I think it necessary to say, that 
the doctrines I have preached for six-and-twenty years I 
still consider as the truths of God. I mean to preach the 
same doctrines, the Lord being my helper, during the whole 
remainder of my life, wheresoever my lot may be cast." 
Yet it must be admitted that the word ** clerical," either 
in its strict or accepted use, or in the present connexion, 
will scarcely bear this construction. We must therefore 
suppose, that when this sentence was written in the first 
edition, the author's scruples had not then operated so 
powerfully as to lead him to the conclusion of renouncing 



136 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



but I cannot prevail upon myself* to call things by 
wrong names, and to give flattering- titles where it is 
plain they are not deserved. Gravely and seriously 
speaking, then, I do conceive, that the number of 
clerical characters who will be received with appro- 
bation by the Shepherd and Bishop of souls, in the 
great day of final retribution, will be small— compara- 
tively speaking, extremely small. 

I am sure appearances at present are against us. 
And I conceive all this is strongly implied in oar 
Saviour's very solemn discourse to the bishops and 
clergy among the Jews in the twenty-third of St. 
Matthew, just before he left our world. In short : — 

The clergy of every country in Christendom have 
been at the same time the bane and the bulwark of 
religion : the bane, by their pride, misconduct, 
superstition, negligence, and spiritual domination ; 
and the bulwark, by their piety, excellent learning, 
and admirable defences of the doctrines of religion, 
or the outworks of Christianity. 

The fact is the Popish clergy have preached and 
written so much in defence of the triple tyrant and 
the superstition of their religion, that scepticism 
and infidelity almost universally prevail among 
thinking men of that denomination. The more 
eagerly the clergy contend, the more mischief they 
do to their cause ; for really the things for which 
they contend are not defensible. 

We of the English establishment, too, have so long 
boasted of the excellence of our church, congratulated 

his clerical character; and that when he revised this in 
the second edition, -which is known to have been a consi- 
derable time before he wrote the Appendix, either he over- 
looked it, which, as his mind was so occupied with the 
subject, is not improbable, or he then continued, on the 
whole, of the same sentiment, which was only altered by 
the gradual process of mature reflection, aided by firm in- 
tegrity, and a sense of the propriety of a consistency of con- 
duct; and this best accords with the view with which the 
second Appendix begins.]— Editok. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



137 



! ourselves so frequently upon our happy condition; 

paid ourselves so many fine compliments upon the 
j unparalleled purity of our hierarchy ; that a stranger 

would be led to conclude, to be sure we must be the 
| holiest, happiest, and most flourishing church upon 
I the face of the earth ; whereas, when you go into our 
I most stately and magnificent cathedrals, and other 
j sacred edifices, you find them almost empty and 
\ forsaken. At best all is deadness and lukewarmness 

both with priest and people.* In various instances 

j * Bishop Burnet says, " I have lamented, during: my 
whole life, that I saw so little true zeal among our clergy. 
I saw much of it in the clergy of the church of Rome, 
though it is both ill-directed and ill-conducted. I saw much 

I zeal likewise throughout the foreign churches. The Dis- 

j senters have a great deal among them : but I must own, 
that the main body of our clergy has always appeared dead 
and lifeless to me, and, instead of animating one another, 
they re em rather to lay one anoth r asleep." — Conclusion 
of the History of Ids Own Times. Let any discerning 

I man take a candid, yet impartial survey of the clergy, for a 
circuit of sixty miles round his own neighborhood, and 

j then let him say whether the matter is mended since the 
time in which this good bishop wrote these words. Let 
him attend the dissenting ordinations, and clerical rneet- 

j ings ; the Methodist conferences, and district meetings; 

] let him next proceed to our church confirmations, ordina- 

j tions, and visitations ; and then let him say on which side 
is to |be found the greatest appearance of evangelical reli- 
gion. Be it as it may with others, it is well known that 
our confirmations are frequently a burlesque, our ordinations 
disorderly, and our visitations riotous and intemperate. 
These are melancholy facts. The parson and his wardens 
must have a good soaking together once a year at least. 
I observe, too, that for a circuit of many miles round our 
two English universities, a greater degree of ignorance and 
stupidity prevail among the common people than in most 
other parts of the country. This is a strange circumstance, 
but easily accounted for, from the improper conduct of 
abundance of the clergy and gentlemen of these two semi- 
naries of learning. It holds equally true, that, all through 
the kingdom, wherever there is a cathedral, and a greater 
number of parsons than ordinary, there is usually tiie least 



138 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



there is little more appearance of devotion than in 
a Jew's synagogue. Go where you will throuh the 
kingdom, one or the other of these is very generally 
the case, except where the officiating clergyman is 
strictly moral in his conduct, serious, earnest, and 
lively in his manner, and evengelical in his doctrines. 
Where this, however, happens to be so, the stigma j 
of Methodism is almost universally affixed to his 
character, and his name is had for a proverb of re- 
proach, in proportion to his zeal and usefulness, by ; 
the sceptics and infidels all around, in which they are 
frequently joined by the rich, the fashionable, and 
the gay, with the bishop and clergy at their head. 
How many such, 

" For their bellies sake, 
Creep and intrude, and climb into the fold ? 
Of other care they little reck'ning make, 
Than how to scramble at the shearer's feast, 
And shove away the worthy bidden guest : 
Blind mouths! that scarce themselves know how to hold 1 
A sheep-hook, or have learn'd aught else the least 
That to the faithful herdsman's art helongs! 
What recks it them ? What need they 1 They are sped ; 
And when they list, their lean and flashy songs 
Grate on their scrannal pipes of wretched straw. 
The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed, 
But swoll'n with wind, and the rank mist they draw, 
Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread : 
Besides what the grim wolf with privy paw 
Daily devours apace ; and nothing said, 
But that, two-handed engine at the door 
Stands ready to smite once, and smite no more." 

These words of Milton are certainly severe, but i 
yet not more so than the occasion deserves. If they j 
were applicable in his day, it is to be feared they are 
not less so in the present. As a body, we are of all 

appearance of real religion among the people. The general 
lukewarmness of the clergy is a curse to every neighbour- 
hood where they abound I It is the same in Catholic coun- 
tries, and must be so in the nature of things, through every 
country, unless we live in the spirit of the Gospel. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



139 



men in England the most nexcusafre. The great 
mass of the people are going headlong to the devil in 
their sins ; the nation, because of its transgressions, 
is absolutely verging towards destruction ; and yet 
a vast majority of the 18,000 parsons are insensible, 
both of the temporal and eternal danger to which we, 
I our people and our country, are exposed. If this 
ij censure seem intemperate, let any man prove that it 
jj is not just. I sincerely wish it were wholly unde- 
il served. I know some good, useful, laborious, and 
honourable men among the clergy ; men, " the latchet 
of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose ;" but I 
know also there is a very considerable number, who 
are — what shall I say?— " Tell it not in Gath, publish 
it not in the streets of Askalon," lest, the sons of 
infidelity rejoice ; lest the disciples of Thomas Paine 
triumph — they are exactly like the pardons described 
by the prophet a little before the destruction of 
Jerusalem. " His watchmen are blind : they are all 
ignorant ; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; 
sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they 
are greedy dogs, which can never have enough ; and 
they are shepherds that cannot understand : they all 
look to their own way, every one for his gain from 
his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, 
and we will fill ourselves with strong drink : and 
to-morrow shall be as this day, and much more 
abundant." 

I have no pleasure, I say again, in exposing the 
nakedness of the established religion of my country, 
or in exciting against myself the indignation of my 
clerical brethren ; but the times are alarming; the 
great Head of the church is evidently displeased 
with us; and there is now no mincing the matter any 
longer. We ought to examine the ground upon 
which we stand. If it be in any respect found unte- 
nable, we should change our measures, follow the 
determinations of heaven, and, by complying with its- 
highest behests, put ourselves uncler the guardian care 



140 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



of God. If without looking forward, or giving our- 
selves any concern what is right or what is wrong, 
we are determined to defend, through thick and thin, 
whatever in former ages has received the sanction of 
law, and, in our own day, the force of custom, we 
must take the consequences. We shall, most assu- 1 
redly, indue time, share in the general wreck of the 
nations. I have no more doubt of this, than I have 
of the authority of the Sacred Writings. 

The animosity and uncharitableness which have 
evermore pre vailed among the different denominations 
of Christians, is another cause of the growing infide- 
lity of the present age. It is not said now, as in the 
days of old, "See how these Christians love one 
another," but, " See how these Christians hate one 
another." Catholics damn Protestants, and Pro- 
testants revile Catholics.* One sect of Protestants 

* What a horrible curse has Popery been to Christendom 
in point of population ! France alone, we have seen, before 
the Revolution, contained upwards of 366,000 secular i and 
regular clergy, besides an immense number of Nuns. This 
vast body of males and females -were all enjoined, by the 
laws of the church, to continue in a state of celibacy. In 
the whole of Christendom there were no less than 225,444 
monasteries about a century ago. How much greater the I 
number before the Reformation ? Now, reckon only twenty 
persons to one monastery, there must be, in these several 
sinks of sin and pollution (see Gavin's " Master Key to 
Popery") upwards of 4,500,000 souls debarred from all* the 
comforts of the married state, and living in direct opposition 
to the great law of nature — increase and multiply. Hasten 
the completion of the 1260 years, O God! which thou hast 
determined for the reicrn of the Man of Sin ; and, whatever 
it may cost us, let us see his destruction with our own eyes; 
so will we praise thy name, and shout Hallelujah ! Halle- 
lujah! Babylon is fallen ! is fallen ! with concordant hearts 
and voices ! When William the Conqueror came over into 
England, he found about a third-part of the lands in the 
possession of the clergy. Upwards of three thousand one 
hundred and eighty religious houses were suppressed by 
Henry the Eighth and his predecessors. It is computed 
that fifty thousand persons were contained in these se- 



I 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



141 



I anathematizes another sect; every one holding forth 
j the peculiar doctrines of his own party as the truths 

veral religious houses. In some respects these religious 
institutions were useful, in others extremely pernicious. 
Such a number of persons living in a state of celibacy, when 
the country did not contain more than three or four milli- 
ons of inhabitants, if so many, must have had a most per- 
nicious effect upon its population. The sum total of the 
clear yearly revenue of the several religious houses, at the 
time of their dissolution, of which we have any account, 
seems to have been 140,785Z. 6s. Ad. And as the value of money 
is now seven or eight times what it was in the days of Henry 
VIII., we cannot reckon the whole at less than a million 
sterling a year. Besides this, there were many other religious 
foundations dissolved, of which we have no account. The 
plate and goods of different kinds, which came into the 
hands of the king at the same time, were of immense 
value. A good general view of all these matters may be 
seen in an extract from Bishop Tanner's Notitia Monastica, 
in Mr. Justice Burn's Ecclesiastical Larv, under the article 
" Monasteries." [*] 

[*]It cannot fail of being entertaining to the reader to be 
presented with the preamble of the statute for the dissolu- 
tion of smaller monasteries, 27 Hen. VIII. c. 28, as extracted 
from the Parliamentary Roll by Mr. Gwillym (vide his 
Treatise on Tithes, p. 23), especially as it is not usually 
printed in our statute books: — ' : Forasmuch as manifest 
synne, vicious, carnal, and abominable living, is dayly used 
and committed, commonly in such little and small abbeys, 
priories, and other religious houses of monks, canons, and 
nuns, where the congregations of such religious persons are 
under the number of tw. lve persons, whereby the governors 
of such religious houses and their convent spoyle, destroye, 
consume, and utterly waste, as well their churches, monas- 
teries, priories, principal houses, farms, granges, lands, 
tenements, and hereditaments, as the ornaments of their 
churches, an ! their goods and chattels, to the high displea- 
sure of Almighty God, si .nder of good religion, and to the 
great infamy of tiie kind's bigness and the realm, if redress 
should not be had thereof. And albeit that many c:>nti-. 
nual visitations have been heretofore had, by the space of 
two hundred years and more, for an honest and creditable 
reformation of snch unthrifty, carnal, and abominable living, 
yet nevertheless little or no amendment is hitherto had, but 



142 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION. 



of God, in opposition to the peculiar doctrine of those 
who differ from them. It is needless to specify par- 

their vicious living shamefully increaseth and augmenteth» 
and by a cursed custom so rooted and infected, that a great 
multitude of the religious persons in such small houses do 
rather choose to rove abroad in apostacy, than to conform 
themselves to the observation of good religion ; so that 
without such small houses be utterly suppressed, and the 
religious persons therein committed to great and honourable 
monasteries of religion in this realm, where they may be 
compelled to live religiously, for reformation of their lives, 
the same else be no redress nor reformation in that behalf. 
In consideration whereof, the king's most royal majesty 
beine supreme head on earth, under God, of the church of 
England, dayly studying and devysing the increase, ad- 
vancement, and exaltation of true doctrine and virtue in 
the said church, to ;he only glory and houour of God, and 
the total extirping and destruction of vice and sin, having 
knowled e that the premises be true, as well by the accompts 
of his late visitations, as by sundry credible informations, 
considering also that diverse and great solemn monasteries 
of this realm, wherein (thanks to God) religion is right well ; 
kept and observed, be destitute of such full number of reli- 
gious persons as they ought and may keep, hath thought 
good that a plain declaration should be made of the pre- 
mises, as well to the lords spiritual and temporal, as to 
other his loving subjects, the commons in this present Ear- 
liament assembled : whereupon the said lords and commons, 
by a great deliberation, finally be resolved, that it is, and 
shall be much more to the pleasure of Almighty God, and 
for the honour of this his realm, that the possessions of 
such small religious houses, now being spent, spoiled, and 
wasted for increase and maintenance of sin, should be used, 
and committed to better uses ; and the unthrifty religious 
persons so spending the same, to be compelled to reform 
their lives : And thereupon most humbly desire the king's 
higness that it may be enacted, &c.'' It is singular that so 
very religious a prince could, in so short a time after this, 
consent to the total suppression of all those " great, ho- 
nourable, and solemn monasteries, wherein (thanks to God) 
religion was so right well observed." With so much pure 
and disinterested zeal for true religion, and so little regard 
to his own interests, how can we account for this conduct 1 
Why, it seems all these monasteries, weary of their existence, 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



143 



ticulars. We have all been to blame. Instead of 
i| turning our zeal against the immoralities of the age, 
i we have frequently turned it against men, who, in 
| every moral and religious pointof view, were, perhaps, 
better thau ourselves. A spirit of infallibility, in a 
greater or less degree, pervades all parties. In this 
J unchristian strife, the pure spirit of the gospel has 
| been banished from the great bodies of professors, 
j and has taken up its abode among a few solitary 
individuals, dispersed through the several churches 
of Christendom. Men of discernment, seeing this to 
| be the state of things through all denominations, are 
led to suppose thatthere is no truth among any of 
them. The fact, however, is directly the contrary. 
I They have all gotten the saving truth, if they would 
hold itbut in piety, charity, and righteousness. They 
all believe in the Saviour of the world. Let them 
only observe the moral and religious precepts of his 
Gospel, and I do not see what is more necessary to 
entitle them to our Christian regards. They may 
! not come up to the full orthodox belief of the gospel ; 
but they are such characters as our Saviour himself 
would not have treated with severity. And until 
religion is reduced to the simple form in which he 
left it, there will never be an end to the bickerings 
and uncharitableness of party, and Infidelity will of 
course prevail. 

The general wickedness and immoral conduct of 
Christians, so called, is another grand cause of Infi- 
delity. For let men profess what they will, they 
never can persuade any thinking person they believe 
their own principles, while they are seen to transgress 
every rule of moral and religious obligation, and, in 
various of their transactions between man and man, 
conducting themselves in a manner of which abun- 

hurably implored their own destruction, and Kenry, poor 
man, what alternative had he but to consent that it should 
be as they required.— Editor. 



144 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



dance of the heathen, both ancient and modern, would 
be ashamed. 

All these circumstances, with others of a similar 
kind, are the causes why so many persons are now 
found, who reject the divine mission of Jesus Christ.* 

But, my countrymen, can we justly arg ue from the 
abuse to the disuse? Is Jesus, the most moral and 
divine of characters, an iraposter, because many of 1 
his ministers and servants have proved unfaithful'and 
treacherous? Were the other eleven apostles all 
knaves and rascals, because Judas was a traitor? 
Are the eternal truths of the Gospel to be exploded, 
because men have been presumptuous enough to 
adulterate them with the profane mixtures of human 
ordinances?* Or doth our obstinacy alter the nature 
of evidence, and render the situation of unbelievers 
more secure? The course of things is fixed and un- 
changeable. The sun will shine, the fire will burn, 
water will drown, the wind will blow, time will fly, 
the tides will flow, maugre all the scepticism of 
philosophers. 

The moral relations of things are not less invariable ; 
and our being: inconsiderate enough to deny those 
relations, and the obligations that arise from them, 

: 

* Sir Isaac Newton is reported to have said, that Infide- 
lity will overrun Europe before the millennial reign of 
Christ commences. The corruptions of religion in all the 
Christian establishments cannot easily be purged awsy in 
any other manner. They must be subverted by violence 
and blood. There is much reason to fear it will be impos- 
sible to remove them in any other way. — See Whitson's 
Essay on the Revelation of St. John, p. 321, edit. 1744. 
Dr. Hartley also seems to have been of the same opinion 
respecting the spread of Infidelity as Sir Isaac, in his 
Observations on Man, part ii. sect. 81. 

* "Who that ever really professed the Christian religion, 
from the times of the apostles to the present moment, ever 
considered it as a human establishment, the work of parti- 
cular men or nations, subject to decline with their changes, 
or to perish with their falls V'—Erskine, p. 50. 



AftD THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



145 



will neither destroy them, nor render their situation 
more secure. My being so foolish as to reject the 
existence of God, and so infatuated as to suppose there 
is no Redeemer, no Sanctifier, no heaven, no hell, no 
devil, no soul, no angel, no spirit, and that the Bible 
is all a grievous imposition upon mankind, doth not 
prove, either that there is no God, or that there is no 
realitj* in the representations made by the Gospel.* 
Every man must allow, I think, that it is possible for 
the Almighty to reveal his will to the world, if he 
thinks proper so to do. It will be further granted, I 
suppose, that some revelation seems desirable to allay 

* If the various opinions, sects, and parties, which prevail 
among Christians, are considered by unbelievers as an objec- 
tion to the Gospel itself, let them call to mind that there 
is not a smaller number of contradictory opinions prevalent 
among those who reject Christianity. This may be seen 
with strong conviction in Stanley's History of Philoso])hy t 
and in the Posthumous Works of the late King of Prus- 
sia. The editor of the Connoisseur has thrown together a 
few of the Unbeliever's tenets, under the contradictory 
title of 

THE UNBELIEVER'S CREED. 

" I believe that there is no God, but that matter is God, 
and God is matter ; and that it is no matter whether there 
is any God or not. I believe, also, that the world was not 
made ; that the world made itself ; that it had no beginning ; 
that it will last for ever, world without end. 

" I believe that a man is a beast, that the soul is the 
body, and the body is the soul ; and that after death there 
is neither body nor soul. 

" I believe there is no religion ; that natural religion is 
the only religion ; and that all religion is unnatural. I be- 
lieve not in Moses ; I believe in the first philosophy ; I be- 
lieve not in the Evangelists ; I believe in Chubb, Collins, 
Toland, Tindal, Morgan, Mandeville, Wcoloston, Hobbes, 
Shaftesbury ; I ' believe in Lord Bolingbroke ; I believe not 
in St. Paul. 

"I believe not in revelation ; I believe irr tradition ; I 
believe in the Talmud; I believe in the Alcoran ; I believe 
not in the Bible; I believe in Socrates; I believe in Con- 
fucius; I believe in Sanconiathon ; I believe in Mahomet 
I believe not in Christ. Lastly, I believe in all unbelief." 
K 



146 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

the fears, and confirm the hopes of men. If, then, it 
ever should be made, what stronger evidence could 
be produced of its coming from God, than that with 
which the present Sacred Writings are attended? 
The very errors of professors, and the corrupt state 
of religion in every Christian country, are the literal 
accomplishment of several prophecies, and, of course, 
so far are they from being any just objection to the 
Gospel, that they are a strong proof of the Divine 
mission of its great Author. 

But could it even be solidly evinced, that Jesus was 
an impostor, that the Virgin Mary was a bad woman, 
that the Scriptures are false, and that the scheme of 
redemption therein contained is all a cunningly de- 
vised fable of these arch-deceivers the priests, yet 
still it is found true in fact, that a lively believer in 
Christ Jesus, who hath done justly, loved mercy, and 
walked humbly with his God, is much happier than 
the most accomplished Infidel that ever existed, both 
in life, and at the approach of death. Turn back 
your attention to that complete man of the world, ; 
Lord Chesterfield : in him you see a finished charac- 
ter, all that rank, honour, riches, learning, philosophy, 
can make us. But was he happy? Read his own 
account, and be confounded. And are you more at 
rest in your spirit ? What is your life ? — You eat, and 
drink, and sleep, and dress, and dance, and sit down 
to play. You walk, ride, or are carried abroad. You 
labour, toil, transact business. You attend the mas- 
querade, the theatre, the opera, the park, the levee, 
the drawing-room, the card- table, the assembly, the 
ball, the club, the tavern. In what manner do you 
spend your time at any of these places ? Why some- 
times you talk ; make your observations; look one 
upon another ; dance, play, trifle like the triflers there. 
And what are you to do again to-morrow ? The next I 
day ? The next week ? The next year ? You are to 
eat, and drink, and sleep, and labour, and dance, and 
transact business, and dress, and play; engage in 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 147 

small talk, walk, ride, and be carried abroad again.* 
i And is this all ? Was it for this, immortal faculties 

were bestowed upon us ? Miserable round of secular 
i pursuits, and empty dissipation ! If faith in the Bible 
! be a deception, it hath at least the merit of being a 

comfortable and beneficial one. It rescues us from 

this pitiable way of spending our time and money; it 

enables us to abound in " works of faith and labours 
I of love it excites us to live in some degree, worthy 

of our high-raised expectation, and prepares us to die 
! with a hope full of immortality. We quit the stage 
j of life without a sigh or a tear, and we go wind and 

tide into the haven of everlasting rest.f 

* The man of fashion is well described by a late poet in 
the following humorous manner ; — 

" What is a modern Man of Fashion ? 
A man of taste and dissipation : 
A busy man without employment, 
A happy man without enjoyment. 
Who squanders all his time and treasures- 
j * On empty joys and tasteless pleasures; 
Visits, attendance, and attention, 
And courtly arts too low to mention. 
In sleep, and dress, and sport, and play, 
He throws his worthless life away ; 
Has no opinion of his own, 
But takes from leading beaux the ton ; 
With a disdainful smile or frown 
He on the rif-raf crowd looks down ; 
The world polite, his friends and he — 
And all the rest— are nobody ! 
Taught by the great his smiles to sell, 
And how to write, and how to spell ; 
The great his oracles he makes, 
Copies their vices and mistakes ; 
Custom pursues — his only rule, 
And lives an ape, and dies a fool !" 

t Not many men ever trifled more agreeably, and at the 
j same time more perniciously, than Lawrence Sterne, the 
j author of Tristram Shandy. Among the various beautiful 
j and pathetic passages which occur in his volumes, he ad- 
ministers poison in a manner the most imperceptible and 
x 2 



148 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



u With us no melancholy void, 
No period lingers unemployed 

Or unimprov'd below; 
Our weariness of life is gone, 
Who live to serve our God alone, 

And only him to know." 

No man, however, can prove the falsehood of that 
inestimable book. Difficulties, many and considera- 
ble, we know it contains. We are nor disposed to 
conceal them. It would be very surprising if a book 
so circumstanced did not.* But its foundation is 

bewitching. Few writers ever more corrupted the public 
taste. He was a man of considerable, but peculiar talents, 
making great pretensions to sympathy, wit, and benevolence, 
but with an heart in no small degree depraved. And as he 
had lived with the reputation of a wit, he was determined 
to die as such, even though he should sacrifice every ap- 
pearance of Christian piety and decorum. Accordingly, 
when this clerical buffoon came to be in dying circumstances, 
perceiving death to make his advances upwards, raising 
himself and sitting up, he is said, either in a real or pre- 
tended rage, to have sworn at the sly assassin, that he | 
should not kill him yet. This remarkable circumstance, 
though not mentioned in his life, is, I believe, strictly 
true. It is only observed in general, in the account pre- 
fixed to his works, that " Mr. Sterne died as he lived, the J 
same indifferent, careless creature ; as, a day or two before, I 
he seemed not in the least affected with his approaching 
dissolution.'' This brings to my mind the case of another 
unhappy man, who was a professed Atheist. Dr. Barraby, 
an eminent physician in London, was intimately acquainted 

with him: his name was Sir — t, Esq. After some. 

time, he was seized with a violent fever, and sent for the 
Doctor, who came, and prescribed several medicines, but 
none of them took effect. At length he told him plainly, 
** Sir, I know nothing more that can be done ; you must 
die." Upon this, he clenched his fists, gnashed hii teeth, 
and said with the utmost fury, "God! God! I won't die I" 
and immediately expired. 

*" It would be a miracle greater than any we are in- 
structed to believe, if there were no difficulties in the Sacred 
writings ; if a being but with five scanty inlets of know- 
ledge, separated but yesterday from his mother earth, and 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



149 



built upon the pillars of everlasting truth. Conscien- 
tious unbelievers should examine those difficulties 
with calmness and patience. The whole collective 
evidence of the gospel is very considerable, and re- 
quires time and application.* It is expected, that 
they attend to the consistency, harmony, and con- 
nection of all its various parts ; the long chain of 
prophecies undeniably completed in it; the astonishing 
and well-attested miracles which attend it: the per- 
fect sanctity of its Author ; the purity of its precepts ; 

to-day sinking again into her bosom, could fathom the 
depths of the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord God 
Almighty." All arts and sciences abound with dirhcu ties, 
and a perfect knowledge of them is not to be attained 
without considerable labour and application; why then 
should we expect that theology, the first of sciences, and 
that to which all others ought to be subservient, should be 
without its abstrusities, and capable of being understood 
without labour and application of mind ? Nay, even that prac- 
tical religion, which is required of the humblest followers of 
the Redeemer, requires a high degree of attention. "Agonize 
to enter in at the strait gate," is the command 0i the Son 
of God. And did ever any labour more in the cause of virtue 
than Christ and his appostles? 

* There are four grand arguments for the truth of the 
Bible. The first is the miracles which it records. 2. The 
prophecies it contains. 3. The goodness of the doctrine. 
4. The moral character of the penmen. The miracles flow 
from divine power; the prophecies, from divine understand- 
ing ; the excellence of the doctrine, from divine goodness ; 
and the moral character of the penmen, from divine purity. 
Thus Christianity is built upon these four immoveable pil- 
lars — the power, the understanding, the goodness, and the 
purity of God. The Bible must be the invention, either of 
good men or angels, bad men or devils, or of God. It could 
not be the invention of good men or angels, for they neither 
would nor could make a book, and tell lies all the time 
they were writing it, saying, "Thussaith the Lord, when it 
was their own invention. It could not be the invention of 
bad men or devils, for they would not make a book, which 
commands all duty, forbids all sin, and condemns their 
souls to all eternity. I therefore draw this conclusion— The 
Bible must be given by divine inspiration. 



150 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



the sublimity of its doctrines ; the amazing rapidity 
of its progress ; the illustrious company of confessors, 
saints, and martyrs who died to confirm its truth ; 
the testimony of its enemies ; together with an infinite 
number of collateral proofs and subordinate circum- 
stances, all concurring to form such a body of evidence, 
as no other truth in the world can show ; such as 
must necessarily bear down, by its own weight and 
magnitude, all trivial objections to particular parts.* 
They should consult the best books upon the subject, 
and call in the assistance of learned and disinterested 
men, who have made theological subjects their study. 
They should apply to them as they would to a lawyer 
about an estate, or a physician about their health. 
And they should make the investigation a matter of 
the most diligent enquiry.! Religion is a serious 

* See Bishop) Porteus's Semnons, vol. i. p. 41, 42. 

t Bishop Watson's Apology for Christianity, in answer 
to Mr. Gibbon, and his Apology for the Bible, in answer to 
Thomas Paine, before mentioned, are admirably well cal- 
culated to remove a considerable number of difficulties at- 
tending the records of our salvation. Bishop Home's Let- 
ters on Infidelity are wisely suited to the same purpose. , 
But he that is able and willing to examine thoroughly the 
grounds of his religion, should have recourse to Bishop 
Butler's Analogy of Religion, natural and revealed, to 
the constitution and course of Nature; a work well 
adapted to give satisfaction to enquiring minds upon the 
most important of all subjects, religion. I need not say 
that Grotius on the Truth of Christianity is an excellent 
little work. Doddridge's Three Sermons on the Evidences 
of Christianity, seem better suited to the understandings 
of common readers than almost any other. Lardtier's Cre- 
dibility — Michaelis's Introduction to the New Testament 
— and Paley's View of the Evidences of Christianity, are 
all works of high reputation. Beattie's Evidence of the 
Christian Religion, is a valuable small work. Baxter on 
the Truth of Christianity, is not to be answered. Edwards 
on the Authority, Style, and Perfection of Scripture, 
is very valuable. Gildon's Deist's Manual— Kidder's De- 
monstration of the Messius —StUlinafteet''s Oripincs Sa- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



151 



thing. It is either all or nothing. A few pert ob- 
jections, started in mixed company, or in a circle of 

era — Hartley on the Truth of the Christian Religion — 
Bryant's Treatise on the Authenticity of the Scriptures 
— Jortin's Discourse concerning the Truth of the Chris-' 
tian Religion — Delany's Revelation examined with Can- 
dour — Pascal's Thoughts on Religion — Young's Night 
Thoughts, and Centaur not Fabulous — Ditton on the Re- 
surrection — Care of Deism. — Foster's Usefulness, Truth, 
and Excellency of the Christian Revelation— Clarke's 
Truth and Certainty of the Christian Revelation— Lally's 
Principles of the Christian Religion — Paley's Horce Pau- 
lina} — Bishop Squire's Indifference for Religion Inex- 
cusable — Locke's Reasonableness of Christianity — Mur- 
ray's Evidences of the Jewish and Christian Revelations — 
Chandler's Plain Reasons for being a Christian — Addison 
on the Truth of Christianity — Bishop Watson's Two Ser- 
mons and charge — Sykes^s Essay upon the Truth of the 
Christian Religion — Warburton's Divine Legation of 
Moses — Dr. Gregory Sharpe's Two Arguments in Defence 
of Christianity — Leslie's Short Method with Jews and 
Deists — Bishop Berkeley's Minute Philosopher — Dr. 
Randotyh's View of our Saviour's ministry — Bishop 
Clayton's Vindication of the Histories of the Old and 
New Testament — Dr. Bell's Enquiry into the Divine 
Missions of John the Bajrtist and Jesus Christ — Lively 
Oracles, by the author of the Whole Duty of Man — 
Boyle on the Style of the Holy Scriptures— Macknight 
on the Gospel- Actions as probable — West on the Resur- 
rection — Lord Lyttleton on the conversion of St. Paid — 
Le Pluche on the Truth of the Gospel — Socinus's Argu- 
ment of the Authority of Holy Scripture — Bishop Chand- 
ler's Defence of Christianity— Priestley's Letters to a 
Philosophical Unbeliever — Priestley's Evidence of Re- 
vealed Religion. — These are all works of some reputation. 
Several of them are unanswerable ; and all contain more or 
less matter upon the truth of the Scriptures, that is useful 
and important. Many others have been written upon the 
same subject, but these I have had an opportunity of pe- 
rusing, and can recommend them every one, as containing 
much that is valuable. There is, however, one very small 
work more, which I would take the liberty of recommend- 
ing to the common reader, because it is so plain, satisfac- 
tory, and concise; and that is Dr. David Jennings's Appeal 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



friends over the glass, are indecent and despicable. 
Shameful herein is the conduct of many vain babblers. 
They should be excluded society. When the ancient 
philosopher Anaxagoras had expressed in one of his 
books a doubt concerning' the existence of God, the 
book was burnt by a public decree of his fellow-citi- 
zens, and he himself banished his country. These 
were heathens and republicans. What would they 
have said to the philosophisters of the present day ? 
No person, we may venture to say, ever honestly 

for the Truth of the Holy 
it, this is a very satisfactory 
ritained in two sermons of 
>btained for a very trifling 
Leland's Deistical Writers ; 
nutation — Leslie's Truth of 
hop Taylor's Moral Demon- 
Jesus Christ is from God. 
:ch universal importance are 
is scarcely possible they can 
much questioned whether 
:n made to the great truths 
itings, which has not been 
n one and another of the 
has taken so much pains to 
he Scriptures as Mr. Stack- 
he Holy Bible. If the seri- 
with difficulties, he will do 
k, where he will find them 
answers as are generally sa- 
recommended to the serious 



■ to 



to Reason and Common Sense 
Scriptures. For the compass of 
performance. The whole is cc 
moderate length, and may be i 
sum. To these may be added .' 
a work of high and deserved re 
Christianity Demonstrated — Bis 
stration that the R 
Writings on these su 
very numerous, and, 
be too - much so. I 
any objection whate 
of religion and the ! 
fairly and honestly e 
above authors. But 
state and answer obje 
house, in his New History of 1 
ous reader finds himself prcssec 
well to apply to that great woi 
exhibited at length, with such 
tisfactory. To these it may be 
reader to add Knox's Christia 
find the internal evidence of Ci 
much at length. The work, 
me altogether unexceptional-! 
He seems to set the external a 
gospel too much in opposition 
moreover, an asperity, and sup 
sions, in his expressions, whic 
which he writes, and which he 
late Bishop Warburton and oil 
trust, will do much good, by cs 
inward religion. 



ilosophy, where he will 
anity insisted on pretty 
ver, does not appear to 
lough highly valuable, 
iternal evidences of the 
.o the other. There is, 
ousness, on some occa- 
become the subject on 
justly condemns in the 
The work, however, I 
• the public attention to 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



examined the whole of the evidence of the truth of 
the New Testament, who did not find it satisfactory. 
Indeed, the Gospel itself is so pure,* that no decent 
man can reject it. Hence, we find it has ever been 
the custom of unbelievers to attack the corruptions 
of religion which, more or less, prevail in all countries ; 
and, through the sides of those human appendages, 
to wound the cause of truth itself. These arts, how- 
ever, are inconsistent with honour, and no person of 
the least integrity of mind can be capable of them. 
Modest men, too, who have not thoroughly examined 
the arguments for and against Scripture, will be 
silent. If they cannot believe in Jesus, they will be 
extremely cautious upon what ground theyrejecthim. 
They will remember that Newton examined the evi- 
dence of his divine mission and was satisfied ; that 
Locke examined, and died glorying in his salvation. 
They will recollect that West, Jennings, Lyttleton, 
and Pringle, were all at one time unbelievers ; all 
undertook, like wise men, to examine the grounds of 
their infidelity ; were all convinced that they had 
been dangerously mistaken ; all became converts to 
the religion of the Son of God ; and all died, declaring 
their belief in him, and expectations from him. 
Thomas Paine, therefore, and his humble followers, 
may abuse and misrepresent ;he facts and doctrines 
contained in the Sacred Code, as Bolingbroke, and 
other deistical, but immoral men, have frequently 
done, with learning and ability greatly superior; 
they may nibble at it, like the viper at the file in the 
fable; but they only display their own malignity, and 
want of solid information. It is not, every babbler in 
science that is qualified, either to vindicate or oppose 
the Bible with effect. Deep and various learning are 
necessary for this purpose. The experience of past 

*The reader may see the purity of the Gospel drawn out 
at length in Newcombe's Observations on our Lord's conduct, 
Hunter's Observations on the History of Jesus Christ, and 
Harwood's Life of Christ. 



154 



A FLEA FOR RELICTION 



ages might convince any man, that it will be found 
"hard to kick against the pricks/' and to resist the 
evidence with full satisfaction of mind. All bitter 
sarcasms, therefore, with which infidels so unmerci- 
fully load the best of books,* are unbecoming, and 
should be suspended, lest they recoil upon their own 
heads. It hach stood the rude shocks of learned Jews 
and heathens, heretics and unbelievers, of former ages, 
and it is not ab rat to receive its death-wound from 
the feeble assaults which the present numerous set of 
Deists are capable of making upon it. We challenge 
all the unbelievers in Christendom to account upon 
any merely human principle, for the scriptural pro- 
phecies concerning the kingdoms of Israel, Judah. 
and Egypt ; or concerning the cities of Tyre, Nineveh, 
Babylon, and Jerusalem. Xay, not to take so large 
a compass, but to bring the matter to one point, we 
defy any man on simple human principles, to acconnt 
for the present state of the Jews. Would we give 
ourselves time, soberly to compare the twenty-eighth 
chapter of Deuteronomy with the history and dis- 
persion of that extraordinary people, we could not fail 
of having our minds strongly impressed with convic- 
tion. This one argument is invincible, and not to be 
fairly got over by all the wit of man, as the late ac- 
complished, but irreligious, Chesterfield, was honest 
enough to declare, t 

But, if we turn from these prophecies to those 

* For most of the learning that is now in the world we 
are indebted to the Bible. To the same book likewise we 
are indebted for all the morality and religion which prevail 
among men. Xay, even the absurd tales and fables which 
we read in the writings of the ancient Greeks and Romans 
are nothing more than perversions of the several histories 
and characters recorded in the Old Testament. See Jortin's 
First Charge, vol. viL of his sermons. Gale's Court of the 
Gentiles; and Bryant's Mythology. Consult, too, Dryden's 
Preface to his Religio Laici. 

t See Jones's Life of Bishop Home, p. 332. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 155 



which respect human redemption, and the Saviour 
Of mankind, we shall find they are'extremely remark- 
able and minute, and absolutely conclusive for the 
Messiahship of Jesus Christ, the son of Mary. We 
will consider the predictions and fulfilmentsTat som« 
length, and boldly appeal to the common sense and 
reason of the most prejudiced man upon earth, whe- 
ther there be not something far beyond the mere 
powers of nature in these strange coincidences. 

1. It was predicted, many centuries before it 
came to pass, that Messiah should come into the 
world for the redemption of human beings. — Messiah 
did come into the world, four thousnnd years after 
the first prediction was uttered.* 

2. Messiah is frequently prophesied of under the 
character of him that was to come. — Jesus Christ 
is several times described in this form by the writers 
of the New Testament. t 

3. In ancient times there were four monarchies 
in the world, one succeeding another, more famous 

* Gen. iii. 15 ; Isa. ix. 6, 7 ; Matt. i. 18-25. Dr. Eveleigh, 
in his Sermons, says very justly, The great object of the 
prophecies of the Old Testament is the redemption of man- 
kind. This, as soon as Adam's fall had made it necessary, 
the mercy of God was pleased to foretel. And, as the time 
of his accomplishment drew nearer, the predictions con- 
cerning it became gradually so clear and determinate, as to 
mark out with historical precision almost every circum- 
stance in the life and character of infinitely the most ex- 
traordinary personage that ever appeared among men. Any 
one of these predictions is sufficient to indicate a prescience 
more than human. But the collective force of all, taken 
together, is such, that nothing more can be necessary to 
prove the interposition of Omniscience, than the establish- 
ment of their authenticity. And this, even at so remote a 
period as the present, is placed beyond all doubt." — Sermon 
vi. p. 210. 

t Compare Hab. ii. 3, 4; Psalm cxviiii. 28; Isa. xxxv. 4; 
lix. 20; lxii. 11; Dan. ix. 26; Zech. ix. 9; Mai. iii. 1; 
Matt. xi. 8; John i. SO; iv. 25; xi. 27; Acts xix 4. See 
Chandler's Defcnee, ch. ii. sect. i. p. 160-167. 



156 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



than all the rest. It was foretold that Messiah 
should appear under the last of them. — Christ was 
born after the destruction of the ihree first, and 
while the fourth was in ail its glory.* 

4. Messiah was to come among men before the 
destruction of the second temple. — Jesus Christ 
preached in that temple ; and it was totally destroyed 
within forty years afterwards. f 

5. Messiah was to come into the world before the 
dominion of the Jews was taken away. — Christ was 
born of that Jewish nation, as a token of their subjec- 
tion to the Roman government.^ 

0. When Messiah should make his appearance 
among men, it was to be a time of general peace, 
after dreadful wars and convulsions.— "When Jesus 
Christ came into the world, the Roman wars were 
just terminated, the temple of Janus was shut, and 
universal peace reigned through the empire.^ 

7. Messiah was to make his appearance among 
men, at a time when there should be a general expec- 
tation of him.— When Jesus Christ came into the 
world, all nations were looking for the advent of some 
extraordinary person. jj 

* Compare Daniel ii and vii. with Luke ii. and iii. 
t Compare Haggai ii. 7, with Matthew xxi. 23. See 
Josephus. 

% Compare Genesis xlix. 10, with Luke ii. 1-7. 
5 Compare Haggai ii. 6, 7, 9, with the Roman history of 
this period. 

jj Compare Haggai ii. 7-9, with Matthew ii. 1-10, and 
John i. 19-45. The Heathens, as well as the. Jews, had a 
firm persuasion, that some extraordinary person should 
arise in the world about the time of our Saviour's birth. 
Suetonius says, "There was an old and fixed opinion all 
over the East, that it was decreed by heaven that about that 
time some person from Judea should obtain the dominion 
over all." Tacitus mentions the same prophecy, and almost 
in the same words : — u Most of the Jews had a persuasion, 
that it was contained in the ancient books of their priests, 
that at that very time the East should grow powerful, and 
some person from Judea should gain the dominion." To these 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS, 



157 



8. Messiah was to have existed with God before 
the foundations of the world were laid.— Jesus Christ 
was in the beginning with God, and by him the 
worlds were made.* 

9. Messiah was to be one, who had been the 
fellow, the equal, and the companion of the Al- 
mighty. — Jesus Christ thought it not robbery to be 
equal with God, and was with him from eternity. f 

10. Messiah was to he the Son of God.— Jesus 
Christ was confessedly the only-begotten Son of 
God | 

11. Messiah was to have had an eternal, and 
ineffable generation. — Jesus Christ was the Son of 
God, prior to his being born of the Virgin Mary, in a 
way not to be explained by mortal man.§ 

12. Messiah was also to be the Son of Man. — 
Jesus Christ sustained this character, and seemed to 
have a pleasure in being called by that name.jj 

13. Messiah was not to be born according to the 
ordinary course of nature, but to descendfrom a pure 

testimonies of the Scripture and Heathen writers, we may- 
add that of Josephus, who says, in his History of the Jewish 
War, b. vii. c. 12—" That which chiefly excited the Jews to 
the war against the Romans, was a dubious oracle, found 
in their Sacred Writings, that about that time one of them 
from their parts should reign over the world." See this 
subject drawn out more at large by Mr. Charles Leslie, in 
his Short and Easy Method with the Jews, and again in 
his Truth of Christianity Demonstrated. This last trea- 
tise, together with his Short and Easy Method with the 
Deists, are absolutely conclusive in favour of the Gospel. 
One may defy the most subtile Deist in the world to refute 
those two treatises. They are indeed unanswerable, except 
by sneer and sarcasm. 

* Compare Proverbs viii. 22, 23, with John i. 1-3 ; Colos- 
sians i. 16, 17. 

t Compare Zechariah xiii. 7, with Phil. ii. 6, and John i. 1. 
1 Compare Psalm ii. 12; Proverbs xxx. 4; Hosea xh 1 ; 
Matthew hi. 17 ; xvii. 5. 
% Compare Micah v. with John i. 1. 
jj Daniel vii. 13; Matthew viii- 20. 



158 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Virgin. — Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin 
Mary.* 

14. Messiah was to be the son of Abraham, the 
father of the faithful, and the friend of God. — Jesus 
Christ was sprung from that illustrious patriarch, f 

15. Messiah was to be the son of Isaac, and not 
of Ishmael.— Jesus Christ was sprung from Isaac, 
and not from Ishmael. I 

1G. Messiah was to be the son of Jacob, and not 
of Esau. — Jesus Christ did descend from Jacob, and 
not from his brother Esau.§ 

17. Jacob had twelve sons. Messiah was not to 
spring from any other of the twelve, but from 
Judah. — Jesus Christ claimed Judah as his ancestor 
in a direct line.|| 

18. Messiah was to be sprung from Jesse, the father 
of David, King of Israel.— Jesus Christ was his 
descendant.^ 

19. Jesse had eight sons. David was the young- 
est. From none of the seven elder, but from David 
alone was Messiah to derive his origin.— Jesus Christ 
was the son of David. ** 

20. Messiah was to be born in a poor and mean 
condition, when the family should be reduced to a 

* Compare Genesis iii. 15; Isaiah vii. 14; and Jeremiah 
xxxi. 22 ; with Matthew i. 22, 23. It would be well if the 
opposers of the supernatural incarnation of our Saviour 
would soberly read over Dr. Clarke's very sensible discourse 
on the Miraculous Birth of Christ, in the fifth volume of 
his Sermons. My own Essay on the Authenticity of the 
New Testament^ may also be consulted, especially the 
Addenda. 

t Compare Genesis xxi. 1-12, with Matthew i. 1-16. 

1 Compare Genesis xvii. 16-21, with Matthew i. 1-16. 
Compare Genesis xxv. 24-34; xxviii. 27-29; xxviii. 13, 
14"; with Matthew i. 1-16. 

|| Compare Genesis xlix. 8, 12, with Matthew i. 1-16. 

*f Campare Isaiah xi. 1, with Matthew i. 1-16. ' 

** Compare l,Samuel xvi. 1-13 ; 2 Samuel vii. 12-15 ; P^alm 
Ixxxix. 19-37; Matthew i. 1-16. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 159 

j very low estate— Jesus Christ, both on his father 
and mother's side, was of very low and mean appear- 
ance, though descended from such illustrious 

| ancestors.* 

J 21. Messiah was to have a messenger going 
j before him, to make ready a people prepared for the 
Lord.— Christ had a messenger going before him, 
j who fully bare witness to his pretensions.! 
I 22. The forerunner of Messiah was either to be 
lj Elijah himself, or one in the spirit of Elijah— John 
" the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, was altogether 
| in the spirit of that great prophet. X 

23. The forerunner of Messiah was to preach in 
the wilderness, and to prepare the minds of the 

I people for his coming.— John the Baptist did preach 
I in the wilderness of Judea, and professed himself lo 
be sent to prepare the Jews for the adventof Christ. § 

24. The forerunner of Messiah was to be consider- 
ably successful in his office. — John the Baptist was 
treated with great respect by his countrymen, and 

| made large numbers of disciples. |j 

25. Messiah was not to be born at Jerusalem, the 
capital of his kingdom, but at Bethlehem, an obscure 
country village. — Jesus Christ was born at Bethle- 
hem, by a very peculiar providence.^ 

26. Messiah was to go down into Egypt, and to 
be called out from thence.— Jesus Christ went down 
into Egypt, soon after his birth, and was called out 
from thence by an angel of the Lord.** 

27. Messiah was to be a preacher of the law of 
God to his countrymen in the great congregation. 

* Compare Isaiah liii. 2 ; Luke i. 48, 52 ; ii. 7-24. 
t Compare Malachi iii. 1, with John i. 19-34: and iii. 
26-36. 

% Compare Malachi iv. 5, 6, with Mark i. ] -8. 
^Compare Isaiah xl. 3-5, with Matthew iii. 1-6. 
j! Compare Isaiah xl. 3-5, with Luke iii. 21. 
IT Compare Micah v. 2, with Matthew ii. 2. 
** Compare Hosea xi. 1, with Matthew ii. 13-23, See, too, 
Whiston on Prophecy, pp. 12 and 52. 



100 



A PLEA F01J. 11ELIGION 



— Jesus Christ was indefatigable in his public minis- 
trations, both in the temple, and in all other places I 
where the people were disposed to hear him.* 

28. The tribes of Zebulon and Naphthali were first 
to be greatly distressed, and afterwards highly ho- 
noured and exalted, by the appearance of Messiah ! 
among them. — These tribes principally suffered in 
the first Assyrian invasion under Tiglath Pilezer,and i 
were afterwards among the first that enjoyed the 
blessing of Christ's preaching the gospel, and exhibi- 
ting his miraculous works among them.f 

29. Messiah was to converse and preach the gospel 
in the region of Galilee. — Jesus Christ lived and 
conversed so long in that obscure and despicable part 
of the land of Israel, that he was by way of contempt, 
denominated the Galilean.:}: 

30. Messiah was to have a temple, to which he 
should come when he made his appearance in human i 
flesh.— Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, claimed the 
temple of Jerusalem as his own, in a sense which no 
mere mortal could presume.^ 

31. Messiah w r as to be the servant of God, whose 
name is the Branch — Jesus Christ was emphatically 
the Servant of God, and the Dav -Spring from on 

high.n 

32. Messiah is spoken of by the ancient prophets 
under the characters of an angel — a Messenger— a 
Redeemer — an Interpreter — One in a thousand — a 
Plant of renown— a Captain — the Beloved of God— 

* Compare Psalm xl. 9, 10, with the four gospels, passim. 

t Compare Isaiah ix. 1-i : 2 Kings xv. 29 ; 1 Chron. v. 
26, and Matthew iv. 12-18. 

t Compare Isaiah ix. 1, 2, with Matthew ii. 22, 23, and I 
Matthew iv. 23, 25, 

<S Compare Malachi iii. 1, with Luke ii. 49, and Matthew 
xxi. 12, 13. 

|| Compare Isaiah iv. 2 ; xi. 1 ; Jeremiah xxiii. 5; Zecha- 
riah iii. 8; vi. 12; Isaiah xlii. 1; Matthew xii. 18; and 
Luke i. 78. It should be observed here, that the word 
translated Branch signifies also the East, or Day- Spring. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 161 



the true David. — Jesus Christ was all these, and 
whatever else was peculiar to the character of that 
august Being, as will more fully appear from the 
following instances.* 

33. Messiah was to be the messenger of the cove- 
nant between God and his people. — Jesus Christ was 
that messenger. t 

34. Messiah was to sustain the office of a Prophet 
when he came to redeem mankind. — Jesus Christ 
sustained that office in all its extent.:}: 

35. Messiah was also to sustain the office of a 
Priest, when he appeared upon earth. — Jesus Christ 
was a Priest, and offered, not indeed the blood of 
bullocks and of goats, but his own most precious 
blood. § 

36. Messiah, though a Priest, was not to be of the 
tribe of Levi, and after the order of Aaron, but after 
the order of Melchizedek. — Jesus Christ was of the 
tribe of Judah, and had an everlasting priesthood, 
after the order of Melchizedek. || 

37. Messiah was, moreover to sustain the office of 
a King, when he took on him human nature for the 
salvation of his elect. — Jesus Christ was a King, even 
while upon earth ; and, now that he is in heaven, his 
dominion extends over all worlds. % 

38. Messiah was to be a righteous King, and em- 
phatically the Prince of Peace.— Jesus Christ was 

* Compare Genesis xlviii. 16 ; xxxii. 24-30 ; Hosea xii. 
8, 4 ; Exod xxiii. 20-23 ; Malachi iii. 1 ; Job xix. 25 ; 
xxxiii. 23; Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24, 29; Joshua v. 13, 34; Isa. 
xlii. 1 ; Rev. i. 1 ; Matthew iii. 17 ; Hebrews ii. 10. 

t Compare Jeremiah xxxiii. 20, 21 ; Malachi iii. 1 ; Isa. 
lxiii. 9; Hebrews viii. 7-13; x. 9; xiii. 20, 21. 

j Compare Deutronomy xviii. 16, 18 ; Acts iii. 22 ; Luke 
xxiv. 19 : Matthew xxiv. 

§ Compare Zechariah vi. 13; Hebrews ix. 11-44. 

f| Compare Genesis xiv. 18 ; Psalm ex., 4; Hebrews vi. 
20 ; vii. 1-28. 

% Compare Psalm ii. 6 ; Zechariah vi. 13 ; ix. 9 ; with 
Luke i. 32, 83; John xxiii. 36, 37; and Rev. xix. 16. 
L 



16*2 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



eminently distinguished as a righteous person, and the 
great peace-maker botli on earth and in heaven.* 

39. The kingdom of Messiah was to be universal 
and everlasting.— Jesus Christ has a kingdom, that, 
in due time, shall be universal in its extent, and 
eternal in its duration. t 

40. Messiah was to be the Son of Righteousness, 
who should arise upon the world with salvation in his 
rays.— Jesus Christ was the Light of the world, who 
illuminateth every man that cometh into it. 

Messiah was also to be the East, or Morning Star, 
— Jesus Christ is called the Day-spring from on high, 
and the bright and Morning Star.J 

41. Messiah was to be emphatically the Just One. 
— Jesus Christ not only answered the'description,but 
is repeatedly called by that name.§ 

42. Messiah, to whom belonged the land of Judea, 
was to be denominated Immanuel. — Jesus Christ was 
the proprietor of that holy land, and was expressly 
called by the name of Immanuel. || 

43. Messiah was to be a great Shepherd, and tolay 
down his life for the sheep. — Jesus Christ was the 
great and good Shepherd, and shed his blood in 
defence of his flock.5[ 

44. Messiah was not only to be a righteous king, 
and execute judgment and justice upon the earth, but 
his name was to be Jehovah our righteousness. — 



* Compare Isaiah xxxii. 1 ; Psalm xlv. 1-17 ; lxxii. 1-19; 
Jeremiah xxiii 5 ; Zechariah ix. 9 ; Isaiah ix. 6; Luke ii. 
14 ; Ephes. ii. 4-22. 

t Compare Daniel vii. 27 ; Luke i. 32, 33 ; Rev. v. 12-14. 

i Compare Malachi iv. 2 ; John i. 5, 9 ; viii. 12 ; ix. 5 ; 
xii. 35, 46; Isaiah Ix. 1, 2; Luke i. 78; and Rev. xxii. 16. 

i Compare 2 Samuel xxiii. 3 ; Isaiah xi. 5 ; Acts iii. 14 ; 
Vii. 52; xxii. 14. 

H Compare Isaiah vii. 14; viii. 8; Matthew i. 23; and 
John i. II. 

If Compare Zechariah xiii. 7; Isaiah Ix. 11 ; and Ezek. 
xxxiv. 23, 24, with John x. 1-18. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



1G3 



Jesus Christ is made of God righteousness to every 
one that believes in his name.* 

45. Messiah was to he like the lion, which is the 
king of animals, of a noble and generous spirit. — 
Jesus Christ was the lion of the tribe of Judah.f 

4(j. Messiah was to be annointed with the Holy 
Ghost in a larger degree than any other man ever was. 
—Jesus Christ was favoured in this respect beyond 
I all other persons that ever lived-t 
J 47. Messiah was to be of a meek and lowly dispo- 
sition, humbling himself for the redemption of the 
J world.— Jesus Christ was meek and lowly in mind, 
i and answered the prophetic description in every 
| respect. § 

48. Messiah was to teach mankind the doctrines of 
salvation without ostentation and noise. — Jesus Christ 
was quiet and unambitious in all his public, as well as 
private deportment. || 

49. Messiah was to be endowed with a peculiar 
, degree of wisdom and understanding.— Jesus Christ, 
' his enemies being judges, spake as never man spake, 
' and taught a more pure and excellent doctrine than 

had ever been received among mankind before. % 

50. The doctrine of Messiah was to Tdc of the most 
healing, encouraging, and consolatory kind. — The 
doctrine of Jesus Christ was singularly adapted to 
the healing of wounded minds.** 

51. The doctrine which Messiah should preach was 
to have a powerfully transforming influence upon the 

* Compare Jeremiah xxiii. 5, 6, with 1 Corinthians i. 30. 

Compare Genesis xlix. 9, and Rev. v. 5. 
X Compare Psalm xlv. 7, with Matthew iii. 16, 17, and 
J r >hn iii. 34. 

; Compare Zeehariah ix. 9 ; Matthew xi. 28, 29 ; John 
I xiii. 1-17; 2 Corinthians, viii. 9. 
|| Compare Isaiah xlii. 14-21- 

i\ Compare Isaih xi. 1-5 ; John vii. 46 ; Matthew xiii. 54- 
58 ; Matthew v. vi. and vii. ch. 

** Compare Isaiah lxi. 1-3; Matthew xi. 28-30 ; John xiv. 
1-3. 

L 2 



164 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



minds of men. — The Gospel of Christ had all this 
effect upon the dispositions and conduct of every one 
of his genuine disciples.* 

52. Messiah was to be peculiarly kind and affec- 
tionate to young, distressed, and tender-spirited 
persons. — Jesus Christ was singularly attentive to all 
such characters.t 

53. In the confirmation of his divine mission, Mes- 
siah was to display many wonderful works among 
the people.— Jesus Christ wrought abundance of 
miracles in confirmation of his pretensions, and the 
doctrines he taught.} 

54. Messiah was to have but little success in 
preaching the gospel among his countrymen the Jews. 
— Jesus Christ was almost universally rejected by 
them.^ 

55. The minds of the Jews were to be so veiled that 
they should not know their Messiah when he came 
among them. — The minds of the Jews were so sealed 
up, and enveloped in prejudice against Jesus Christ 
when he appeared, that he was treated by them as an 
impostor and deceiver|j. 

56. Messiah was to be the chief corner stone in the 
building of his church, elect, precious.— Jesus Christ 
was the chief corner stone, elect, and precious.^" 

57. Messiah was to be rejected by the builders, but 
yet made the head stone in the corner. — Jesus Christ 
was almost universally rejected by the sreat men of his 
nation ; but yet he was made both Lord and Christ.** 

* Compare Isaiah xi. 6-8, with Acts ii. 41-47. 

t Compare Isaiah xl. 11; lv. 1-3; Ixi. 1-3; Matthew xii. 
20 ; and Mark x. 13-16. 

j Compare Isaiah xxxv. 4, 6, with Matthew viii. and ix. 
and John xxi 25. 

§ Compare Isaiah liii. 1 ; xlix. 4; Rom. x. 1-3, 21. 

|| Compare Isaiah vi. 9-13 ; xxix.2-14; 2 Corinthians iii.'5-18. 

11 Compare Isaiah xxviii. 16 ; Acts iv. 11, 12 ; 1 Peter ii. 6-8. 

** Compare Psalm cxviii. 22 ; Isaiah viii. 13, 14 ; John 
vii. 48 ; Matthew xi. 25, 26 ; 1 Corinthians i. 26-31 ; 1 Peter 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



165 



58. Messiah was to preach the Gospel to the poor, 
and to be embraced by a considerable number of that 
description. — Je^us Christ preached the Gospel to 
the poor, and various of that rank believed in his name.* 
6y. Messiah was to be despisedand rejected of men; 
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. — Jesus 
Christ was despised and rejected of men; a man of 
sorrows, and acquainted with grief. t 
60. Messiah was to be seen riding into Jerusalem, 
l| sitting upon a young ass, as a token of the humility 
of his mind. — Jesus Christ answered this prediction, 
j as well as every other that went before concerning 
him, in the most minute circumstance. + 

(it. When Messiah should enter Jerusalem in this 
meek and humble manner, great crowds of the common 
people should welcome him with shouts and rejoicings. 
—When Jesus Christ rode into that proud metropolis 
in low disguise, the general cry of the mob was, 
M Hosanna to the Son of David ; blessed is he that 
cometh in the name of the Lord : Hosanna in the 
I highest/^ 

62. Messiah was to be actuated with such a burn- 
| ing zeal for the house of God, as even to be endanger- 
ed by it. — Jesus Christ displayed that zeal upon 
various occasions. || 

63. Messiah was to be betrayed into the hands of 
his enemies by the treachery of an intimate friend. — 
Christ was betrayed by one of the disciples whom he 
had chosen. f 

64. Messiah was to be sold for thirty pieces of silver. 
— Jesus Christ was sold for the sum predicted.** 

* Compare Isaiah lxi. 1 ; Luke iv, 18 ; Matthew xi. 5 ; 
James ii. 5. 

t Compare Isaiah liii. with Matthew xxvi. and xxvii. ; 
] and Phil. ii. 7, 8. See, too, Chandler's Defence, p. 178-194. 

J Compare Zechariah ix. 9, with Matthew xxi. 1-11. 

$ Ibid. See Chandler's Defence, p. 102-107. 
| || Compare Psalm Uix. 9; John ii. 17. 

IF Compare Psalm xli. 9; lv. 12, 13; Matthew xxvi. 47-50. 

** Compare Zechariah xi. 12 : Matthew xxvi. 14-16. 



166 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



65. Messiah's price, the thirty pieces of silver, was 
to be cast to the potter in the house of the Lord. — All 
this was done when Judas betrayed his master.* 

66. Messiah was to be condemned in j udgmeut, and 
suffer death under the colour of public justice. — Jesus 
Christ underwent a mock trial, was declared innocent 
by his very judge, and yet delivered over to be 
crucified. t 

67. The followers of Messiah were all to forsake him 
in the time of the greatest need. — When Jesus Christ 
was apprehended, and put upon his trial, all his dis- 
ciples forsook him and fied.t 

68. Messiah was to finish his public employment, 
in confirming the covenant, in about three years and 
a half.— Jesus Christ began his public office at thirty 
years of age, and was put to death at thirty- three 
and a half.§ 

69. Messiah was to be ignominiously scourged by 
his persecutors. — Jesus Christ was treated in this 
manner.|| 

70. Messiah was to be smitten on the face in the 
day of his humiliation. — Jesus Christ was basely 
buffeted by the hands of vile slaves.^ 

71. Messiah was to have his face befouled with , 

* Compare Zechariafi xi. 13; Matthew xxvii. 3-10. 
+ Compare Isaiah lix. 8, 9; Matthew xxviii. 
j Compare Zechariah xiii. 7 ; Isaiah lxiii. 5 ; Matthew 
xxvi. 56. 

§ Compare Daniel ix. 27, with the period of our Lord's 
ministry in the four gospels. On this remarkable predic- 
tion of Daniel, consult Maclaurin's Essay on the Projihecies, 
p. 103; [*] and Sir Isaac Newton's Observations on Daniel, 
ch. x. 11. 

|| Compare Isaiah i. 6, with Matthew xxvii. 26. 
% Compare Isaiah 1. 6; lii. 14 j Micah v. 1 ; and Matthew j 
xxvi. 67. 

[*] This excellent work may be purchased at a cheap 
rate at Baynes's, Paternoster Row. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 167 

spittle.— Jesus Christ condescended for our sakes 
even to this indignity without complaining.* 

72. Messiah was to be wounded in his hands, even 
by his own friends.— Jesus Christ had his hands nailed 
to the cursed tree by his own countrymen. f 

73. Messiah was to be marred and disfigured in his 
visage by the ill treatment he should receive, that his 
friends would scarce know him.— And was not Jesus 

|i Christ so disfigured and despoiled ?| 
jj 74. Messiah" was to be oppressed and afflicted, and 
yet not open his mouth in complaint. He was to be 
J brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep 
before her shearers is dumb, so he was not to open 
his mouth. — "Jesus Christ the Lamb of God that 
taketh away the sins of the world," before Pilate held 
his peace. " And when he was accused of the chief 
priests and elders, he answered nothing. 

75. Messiah was to be taken up with wicked men 
in his death.— Christ was suspended on a cross between 
two thieves. || 

* Compare Isaiah 1. C ; Matthew xxv. 67. 
t Compare Zechariah xiii. 6; with John xx. 27. 
X Compare Isaiah Hi. 14, with Matthew xxxii. 29, 80. If 
it should be objected that several of these circumstances 
are trifling, and unworthy of the spirit of prophecy to 
reveal, it may be very justly answered, that "The more 
minute these circumstances are in themselves, the greater 
and more convincing is the evidence of divine foreknow- 
ledge in the prediction of them ; because the conformity 
between the prediction and the history is so much the more 
circumstantial.— See Maclaurin On the Prophecies, p. 63. 

§ Compare Isaiah liii. 7, with Matthew xxvi. 63 j and 
xxvii. 12-14. 

|| Compare Isaiah liii. 9, with Matthew xxvii. 38-60. See 
on this whole chapter Apthorp's " Seventh Discourse on 
Prophecy," and Dr. Gregory Sharp's " Second Argument in 
Defence of Christianity," p. 222-274. A comparison of this 
fifty-second chapter of Isaiah, with the account given in 
the four Evangelists of the sufferings of Chri-rt, was made 
the instrument of convincing the witty and wicked Earl of 
Rochester. The narrative given of this remarkable trans- 



163 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



76. Messiah was to be buried in the sepulchre of 
a rich man. — Christ was buried in the tomb of a 
rich counsellor.* 

77. Messiah was to be put 5 to death at the end of 
490 years from the time when a commandment 
should go forth to restore and to build Jerusalem. 
— Now it is remarkable, that from the seventh year 
of Artaxerxes Longimanius, king of Persia, from 
whom Ezra received his commission, ch. viL 8, to 
the death of Jesus Christ, there are just 490 years, f 

action, by Bishop Burnet, is worthy insertion in this place : 
Rochester said to Bishop Burnet, " Mr. Parsons, in order 
to his conviction, read to him the fifty-third chapter of 
Isaiah, and compared that -with our Saviour's passion, that 
he might there see a prophecy concerning it, written many 
ages before it was done ; which the Jews that blasphemed 
Jesus Christ still kept in their haDds as a book divinely 
inspired. He said to me — that, as he heard it read, he felt 
an inward force upon him, which did so enlighten his mind, 
and convince him, that he could resist it no longer : or the 
words had an authority, which did shoot like rays or beams 
in his mind, so that he was not only convinced by the 
reasonings he had about it, which satisfied his understand- 
ing, but by power, which did so effectually constrain him, 
that he did ever after as firmly believe in his Saviour as if 
he had seen him in the clouds. He had made it to be read 
so often to him, that he had gotten it by heart, and went 
through a great part of it in discourse with me, with a sort of 
heavenly pleasure, giving me his reflections upon it. Some 
few I remember : ' Who hath believed our report V Here, 
he said, was foretold the opposition the Gospel was to meet 
with from such wretches as he was. ■ He hath no form or 
comeliness ; and when we shall see him, there was no 
beauty that we should desire him.' On this he said, the 
meanness of his appearance and person has made vain and 
foolish people disparage him, because he came not in such 
a fool's coat as they delight in. What he said on the other 
parts I do not, says the Bishop, well remember." — Sharpe's 
" Second Argument," p. 238-240 

* Compare Isaiah liii. 9, with Matthew xxvii. 38-60. 

t Daniel ii. 24. See Sykes's ' Essay on the Truth of the 
Christian Religion," p. 20. And for the times of the birth 
and passion of Christ, consult the eleventh chapter of Sir 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



169 



78. Messiah was to be presented by his enemies 
with vinegar and gall during his sufferings. — In this 
manner was Jesus Christ treated as he hung upon 
the cross.* 

79. The persecutors of Messiah were to pierce 
his hands and feet. — So did the bloody Jews and 
Romans treat the Redeemer of mankind, t 

80. The enemies of Messiah were to laugh him 
to scorn, and to taunt and reproach him with satirical 
language. — So did the Jews conduct themselves to- 
wards Christ in the day of his distress. X 

81. When Messiah was put to death, his enemies 
were to part his garments among them, and for his 
vesture they were to cast lots. — When Christ was 
crucified, these transactions took place. § 

82. When the Messiah should suffer death, not 
a bone of his body was to be broken. — When Christ 
was crucified, not a bone of him was injured. || 

83. When Messiah should be put to death, his 
side was, by some means not declared, to be pierced. 
■ — When Jesus Christ was crucified, his side was 
pierced with a spear, f 

84. It was prophesied of Messiah that he should 
make intercession for transgressors. — Jesus Christ 
interceded with God for his very murderers, and now 
ever liveth at his Father's right hand to plead the 
cause of the sinful children of men.** 

Isaac Newton's " Observations upon the Prophecies of 
Daniel." 

* Compare Psalm lxix. 21, with Matthew xxvii. 84, and 
Jon xix. 28-20. 

t Compare Psalm xxii. 16, with Matthew xxvii. 85.— 
Crucifixion was a thing not known among the Jews in the 
time of David, nor for many ages afterwards. 

| Compare Psalm xxii. 7, 8, with Matthew xxvii. 89-44. 

^Compare Psalm xxii. 18, with Matthew xxvii. 85 

|| Compare Exodus xii. 45, and Numbers ix. 12, with John 
xvi. 31-36. 

*U Compare Zechariah xii. 10, with John xix. 84, 87. 
** Compare Isaiah liii. 12; Hebrews vii. 25. 



170 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



85. Messiah was to be cut off, but not for himself. 
— Jesus Christ, who was holy, harmless, undented,' 
and separate from sinners, was cut off by the hands 
of wicked men, to reconcile God to his rebellious 
subjects.* 

8o\ When Messiah should come, there was to 
be " a fountain opened to the house of David, and to 
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for unclean- 
ness." — When Christ came, he appeared to put away 
sin by the sacrifice of himself, and by the shedding 
of his blood once for all.f 

87. Messiah was to make atonement for the ini- 
quities, transgressions, and sins of the world. — Jesus 
Christ was a propitiation for the whole world. § 

88. Messiah was to make this atonement inlhe 
last of Daniel's seventy weeks.— Jesus Christ was 
crucified in that very week. J 

89. Messiah was to abolish the old, and introduce 
a new dispensation. — Jesus Christ abolished the 
ceremonies of the law of Moses, and brought in a 
more perfect and rational economy. || 

90. The blood of Messiah was to be " the blood of 

* Compare Daniel ix. 26; Isaiah liii. 8; Matthew -sxvi. 
and xxvii. 

t Compare Zechariah xiii. 1 ; and Hebrews iv. and x. 

X Comoare Isaiah liii. 5; Daniel ix. 24; 1 John ii. 1, 2. 

§ Daniel ix. 27. See this remarkable prophecy of Daniel 
illustrated at large in Prideauv, p. 1, b. 5. Consult also 
the fourth and fifth of Apthorp's " Discourses," and Chand- 
ler's " Defence," p. 132-150. " The doctrine of atonement," 
says Bishop Sherlock, " is that which, together with the 
principles on which it is founded, and the consequences 
naturally flowing from it, distinguishes the Christian reli- 
gion from all other religions whatever."— Sermons, vol. iv. 
diss. iii. p. 88. The present excellent Bishop of London 
also tells us, " It is, without dispute, the great distinguish- 
ing character of the Christian dispensation, the wall of 
partition between natural and revealed religion, the main 
foundation of ail our hopes of pardon and repentance 
hereafter." 

j| Compare Jeremiah xxxi. 31-34, with Hebrews viii. 6-18. 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



171 



the covenant, which should bring prisoners out of 
the pit where there is no water." — The blood of 
Jesus Christ was the blood of the new covenant dis- 
pensation, which whosoever disregards shall bear 
the blame for ever.* 

91. Messiah was not to lie in the grave and be 
turned to corruption like other men.— Jesus Christ 
did not continue in the grave, nor did he see corrup- 
tion like the rest of mankind. f 

92. Messiah was to be raised from the grave on 
the third day after his interment. — Jesus Christ was 
buried on the Friday, and rose from the dead on the 
Sunday morning following.^ 

93. When Messiah should arise from the dead he 
was to bring some tokens with him of his victory 
over the infernal powers. — When Jesus Christ enter- 
ed the state of the dead, " he led captivity captive," 
unloosed the bands of death, and raised many bodies 
of the saints, which were confined under his do- 
minion. § 

94. Messiah was to ascend up into heaven, and 
reign there at his Father's right hand, invested with 
universal dominion. — Jesus Christ did ascend up into 
heaven in the sight of many witnesses, and took his 
place at the right hand of power, invested with uni- 
versal dominion. |j 

95. When Messiah ascended into heaven, his 
ascension was to be attended with the ministers of 
heaven, to usher him into his Father's presence. — 

* Compare Zechariah ix. 11, -with Hebrews x. 29 ; xiiL 30. 

t Compare Psalm xvi. 10, with Matthew xxviii. 6. 

X Compare Hosea vi. 2; Matthew xx. 19; Matthew xxvii. 
1-7; 1 Corinthians xv. 4. 

§ Compare Psalm lxviii. 18, with Matthew xxvii. 52. 

|| Compare Psalm xvi. 11; lxviii. 18; Isaiah ix. 6,7; 
Luke xxiv. 60, 61; Acts i. 9; and Matthew xxviii. 18. 
The excellent Tillotson observes, that " all things which 
the prophets had foretold concerning the Messiah were 
punctually made good in the person, and actions and suf- 
ferings of our Saviour." — Sermon, 104. 



172 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



When Jesus Christ ascended up into heaven, two men 
stood by the apostles in white apparel, and addressed 
them on the joyful occasion.* 

96. Messiah was to send down from heaven the gift 
of the Holy Ghost, as a token and pledge that he was 
exalted, and that his Father was pleased with what 
he had done upon earth for the redemption of his 
people. — Jesus Christ sent down the gift of the Holy 
Ghost in the most conspicuous and miraculous 
manner, f 

* Compare Daniel vii. 13, 14, with Acts i. 10, 11. 

t Compare Psalm lwiii. 18; Joel ii. 28-32, with Acts ii. 
1-4, and Ephesians iv. 8-12. 

" When our Lord, after his resurrection, 4 beginning at 
Moses and all the prophets,' had expounded unto his apos- 
tles in ' all the scriptures the things concerning himself, 
and opened their understanding, that they might under- 
stand the Scriptures,' Luke xxiv. 27, 45; when they 
saw plainly (and any one now, who will trace the whole 
thread of the Old Testament, may plainly see) that there is 
a continued series of connexion, one uniform analogy and 
design, carried on for many ages by divine prescience 
through a succession of prophecies ; which, as in their pro- 
per centre, do all meet together in Christ, and in him only ; 
however, the single lines, when considered apart, may many 
of them be imagined to have another direction, and point 
to intermedient events. Nothing is more evident, than that 
the whole succession of prophecies can possibly be applied 
to none but Christ. Nothing is more miraculous, than 
that they should all of them be capable of being possibly 
applied to him. And whatever intermediate deliverances 
or deliverers of God's people may seemingly or really be 
6poken of upon particular occasions; nothing is more rea^ 
sonable than to believe (in the apostle's certainty, who con- 
versed personally with our Lord after his resurrection, 
nothing could be more reasonable than to believe) that the 
ultimate and general view of the prophetic spirit always 
was fixed on him, of whom in some of the ancient pro- 
phecies it is expressly affirmed, that God's servant David 
shall be the Prince over his people for ever ; that his domi- 
nion shall be an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass 
away ; and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed,'* 
— Clarke's ''Sermons," vol. v. sermon 1. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



173 



97. The doctrine of Messiah was to begin to be 
preached at Jerusalem, and from thence to spread 
itself through the nations. — The gospel of Christ* was 
first preached in that city, and actually spread itself 
through all the neighbouring countries in the course 
of a few years.* 

98. Though Messiah was to be generally rejected 
and despised in his life-time, after his death the plea- 
sure of the Lord, in the conversion and salvation of 
mankind, was to prosper in his hand. — How exactly 
these circumstances agree with the history of Jesus 
Christ, is well known to every Christian. t 

99. The followers of Messiah should meet with great 
and severe trials and persecution for their adherence 
to his cause. — The followers of Jesus Christ had the 
whole world in arms against them for several ages. + 

100. The reiectors of Messiah should be rejected of 
God, and his followers called by another name.— The 
Jews, who would not have Christ to rule over them, 
were rejected by him, and his followers were called 
by another name, through divine appointment, as it 
should seem, to accomplish this prophecy.^ 

101. Messiah was to be opposed by kings, and per- 
sons in authority, with great vigour and resolution. 
— Jesus Christ was very generally opposed, through 
the whole of his public ministry, by the great ones of 
the world, and all the power of the Roman empire 
was in opposition to his cause and people for upwards 
of three hundred years. |j 

102. Notwithstanding the opposition of the kings 
and princes of the world for a season, the time was to 

* Compare Isaiah ii. 1-4; Micah iv, 1-4, with Acts ii, 
and Romans x, 18. 
t Isaiah liii. 10-12. 

X Compare Isaiah Ixvi. 5, and Malachi iii. 1-3, with Matt, 
x, 16-18, and 1 Corinthians iv, 2, 

$ Compare Isaiah lxii, 2 ; ixv. 15, with Acts xi. 26. 

j| Compare Psalm ii. 2; cv, 5, 6; Luke xxiii. 8-12. See 
the History of the Church for the first three centuries,' 



174 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



come when kings should be nursing fathers to the 
church, and queens nursing mothers. — Most of the 
governors of the nations of Europehavebeen protectors 
of the cause of Christ now for many centuries.* 

103. It was upon a great variety of occasions pre- 
dicted, that Messiah should enlighten the Gentile 
nations with the knowledge of the true God. — Jesus 
Christ gave particular commandment to his apostles, 
no longer to confine their ministrations to the Jews, 
as he had done during his lifetime, but "go out 
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every 
creature."! 

104. Messiah was to " destroy the covering of the 
face, which was cast over all people, and the veil 
which was spread over all nations."' — When Jesus 
Christ appeared, he, by his word, spirit, and apostles, 
enlightened the minds of men, and effected a most 
surprising change in all the nations where his gospel 
was received. + 

105. To Messiah every knee was to bow, every 
tongue to swear, and every heart to submit. — The 
whole Christian world, professedly at least, pay this 
obedience to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of souls, and 
to no other being whatever. And in due time all op- 
posing power shall be everlastingly annihilated.^ 

106. It was predicted, that all the enemies of Messi- 
ah should be ashamed and confounded. — Jesus Christ 
has already made an awful example of his enemies, 
the Jews ; first, in the destruction of their city and 
temple; secondly, in their present dispersion: and, 
iu the proper season, every opposing power shall be 
brought into subjection.]] 

* Isaiah xliv. 23; lx. 3. 

+ Compare Isaiah lx, with Mark xvi, 15. 

i Compare Isaiah xxv. 6-8; Acts ii, 1-11 ; xxvi. 17, 18. 

^Compare Psalm ck, 1; Isaiah xlv, 25; 1 Corinthians 
xv. 24-28 ; and Phiiippians ii, 10, 11. 

|j Compare Psalm ii. 9; cx, 1; Isaiah xlv. 24; liv, 17; 
K, 12; with Matthew xxiv, ; 2 Thess, i, 7-9; and the 
History of the Jews. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 175 



{ 107. It was predicted that Messiah would make a 
i| great and visible difference between his believing and 

unbelieving countrymen. — When the Romans besieg- 
| ed Jerusalem, near two millions of unbelieving Jews 

perished, while every single believer fled out of the 
I city, and escaped in safety to the mountains.* 

108. Messiah was to appear in the world at the con- 
summation of the ages, to raise mankind from the 

!j dead, and judge the human race in righteousness. — 
ij Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life, shall 
' appear again at the close of nature, and decide the 
J final fates both of men and angels. f 

109. Messiah was to destroy death itself, triumph 
over the grave, and create new heavens and a new 
earth, wherein should dwell universal righteousness. 
— Jesus Christ is he who alone is equal to the mighty 
undertaking, and is divinely appointed to that office. £ 

This is a concise view of the predictions contained 
in the Old Testament, concerning the nature, birth, 
life, doctrine, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, 
| and kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
There can be no doubt respecting the priority of the 
predictions to the birth of Christ, because it is well 
known to every person who is at all conversant in 
these matters, that the Old Testament was translated 
out of Hebrew into the Greek language, and dispersed 
over the world, many years before Christ came; and 
that the latest of the predictions was upwards of three 
centuries before the birth of the Redeemer of man- 
kind. Such a variety of circumstances, therefore, pre- 
dicted concerning one man, so many years before he 
was born, of so extraordinary a nature, and under 

* Compare Malachi hi, and iv., with the History of that 
; remarkable siege. 

t Compare Job xix, 23-27 ; Isaiah xxv. 8 ; Daniel xii. 1-8; 
Hosea viii. 14; Micahii. 18; Matthew xxv, 31-48; John xi. 
25 ; Acts xvii. 80, 81 ; 1 Corinthians vi, 3 ; 2 Corinthian v, 10. 

1 Compare Hosea xiii, 14; Isaiah lxv, 17; lxvi, 32 ; 1 Cor, 
xv, 54, 55; Revelations xx, 14; xxi. 4. 



176 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



such convulsions and revolutions of civil governments, 
all accomplished in Christ, and in no other person 
that ever appeared in the world, point him out, with 
irresistible evidence, as the Saviour of mankind. I 
call upon, and challenge the most hardened infidel in 
Christendom to refute the conclusion. 

But to render the investigation more simple, and to 
bring the enquiry within a narrower compass, let any 
man, who is sceptically inclined, take the fifty-second 
and fifty-third chapters of Isaiah, and compare them 
seriously with the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh 
chapters of St. Matthew's gospel, and then let him 
deny that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah, if he can. 
Rochester, and many others have made the experi- 
ment, and found it the power of God unto the convic- 
tion of their minds, and the salvation of their souls. 
That all these extremely minute circumstances of 
time, place, character, and the like, should centre in 
Christ, and in no other person that ever appeared 
in human nature, is truly remarkable, and absolutely 
demonstrative of his Messiahship. Indeed, that he 
should be born at such a time, in such a place, and 
under such circumstances of poverty ; that he should 
suffer, and be opposed by those who were strangers 
to his character, and be finally put to an ignominious 
death ; these things were all common to him with 
many more of our fellow-creatures. But, that he 
should profess to be the Saviour of mankind — that he ; 
should be described as one who was to come — be born 
under the fourth monarchy, while the second temple 
was yet standing — before the dominion of the Jews ! 
was entirely taken away — in a time of profound and j 
universal peace— when there was a general expecta- 1 
tion of some extraordinary person. That he should I 
have existed with God before the foundations of the i 
world were laid — been the companion of the Almighty 
— been sprung from the Deity by an ineffable gener- 1 
ation— been the Son of God— the Son of Man — be- 
gotten of a pure virgin by divine energy, and not by 



AND TUB SACRED WRITINGS. 



177 



carnal copulation— that he should be the Son of Abra- 

I ham — Isaac— Jacob— Judah— Jesse — David — born in 
a mean condition, yet had an illustrious herald pro- 
ceeding him— in the spirit of Elijah, preaching, not 
in Jerusalem, but in the wilderness— and successful 
in his office. That he should be born in Bethlehem 
j — go down into Egypt — be a preacher of the gospel 
I — exercise his ministry in Galilee— in the neighbour- 
| hood of Zebulon and Naphthali — yet be the proprie- 
I tor of the temple in Jerusalem : that he should be 
j emphatically the servant of God, whose name is the 
J Branch — a plant of renown — the messenger of the 
covenant— a prophet— a priest ; not of the tribe of 
Levi, and after the order of Aaron, but after the 
I order of Melchizedek— a king — a righteous king 
— the prince of peace— having a universal ana 
everlasting kingdom. That he should be thjs 
Sun of righteousness— the East— the Just One — 
Immanuel — the Shepherd— Jehovah our righteous- 
ness—the Lion of the tribe of Judah — that he should 
be annointed, not with oil to his offices, but with the 
Holy Ghost — that he should be of a most meek, pa*- 
tient, and humble disposition — teaching mankind tha 
doctrines of salvation without pomp and noise— en- 
dowed with a peculiar degree of wisdom and under- 
standing, and speaking the most healing words to 
tender minds and affiicted consciences, changing 
thereby all the powers of the soul : that he should 
confirm the reality of his mission, and the divinity of 
his doctrine by a variety of benevolent miracles, and 
yet that the principal persons among his countrymen 
should not submit to his pretensions, be the chief 
corner-stone of his church, and, notwithstanding, re- 
jected by the builders, though embraced by many of 
the common people : that he should be despised and 
rejected of men, a man of sorrow and acquainted with 
grief, seen riding in humble triumph into the capital 
of his kingdom, the people crying, Rosarnia to the 
Son of David: that his zeul for the honour of God 
M 



178 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



should transport him almost to excess : that he should 
be betrayed by a friend, sold for thirty pieces of sil- 
ver: that these pieces should be thrown down in the 
temple, and applied to the purchase of a potter's field : 
that he should be condemned in judgment, forsaken 
by all his friends in the greatest need, finish his public 
office in three years and a half, be ignominiously 
scourged, smitten on the face, befouled with spittle, 
wounded in his hands, by his friends, marred and 
disfigured in his countenance, patient and silent under 
all his ill-treatment, suspended with wicked men, 
buried in the tomb of a rich man, put to death ex- 
actly at the end of four hundred and ninety years from 
a particular period, presented with vinegar and gall, 
w r ounded in his hands and feet, laughed to scorn under 
his sufferings : that his garment should be parted 
among his keepers : that lots should be cast for his 
seamless vesture : under all his distresses that not a 
bone of his body should be broken; that his side should 
be pierced : that he should make intercession for 
transgressors, be cut off, though innocent : that a 
fountain should be opened to wash away sin, atone- 
ment made for the iniquities of the world, in the last 
of Daniel's seventy weeks, the old covenant abolished, , 
a new one introduced, the blood of Messiah being the 
seal of the covenant, that, though he should be buried, 
he should not see corruption, but be raised from the 
grave on the third day : that he should bring from 
the dead some token of his victory, ascend into hea- 
ven, attended with angels, take his place at the right 
hand of God, and send down his Spirit upon his fol- 
lowers : that the gospel should first be preached in 
Jerusalem, multitudes converted to the faith, great 
persecutions endured by those who embraced it, the I 
Jews rejected, and the church called by anew name; 
that the gospel should be generally opposed by the 
kings and governors of the worid, yet after some 
time they should become favourable, and give it en- 
couragement : that the gentile nations should be en- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 179 

lightened and called : that every soul should submit 
to Messiah, those who rejected him being confounded, 
and those who embrace him being protected : that he 
should finally be the j udge of the world, destroy death, 
and crown his faithful people with everlasting joy : 
that all these things should be predicted of some one 
person, several hundreds, or even some thousand 
years asunder from each other ; and that they should 
all receive accomplishment in Jesus Christ, without 
any one exempt case, and in no other person that ever 
appeared upon earth: if under such circumstances 
Jesus Christ were not the person intended in the di- 
vine counsels, and the Messiah whom all the Prophets 
were inspired to predict, it would be one of the great- 
est of miracles. Prophecy would be of no use. All 
evidence would be rendered precarious, and mankind 
left to roam at large, without any satisfactory guide 
to direct their steps in pursuit of truth and salvation. 
I think then we may say, with unshaken confidence, 
in the words of St. Philip to Nathaniel, " We have 
found him, of whom Moses in the Law, and the Pro- 
phets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph." 

But, if we turn from these prophecies to those which 
more immediately respect the condition of the Christi- 
an church in these latter days, we shall find they also 
are extremely remarkable, and absolutely conclusive 
for the divine authority of the Sacred Writings. 

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, invaded the land 
of Israel, about six hundred years before the birth of 
Christ, and carried into captivity a considerable 
number of the inhabitants of the country. Among 
others, led captive, were Daniel and his three com- 
panions, Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego. In the 
second year of his reign, he had a remarkable dream, 
which made a strong impression upon his mind, but 
which he was not able to recollect. He sent for all 
the wise men of Babylon, and, however unreasonable 
the injunction, insisted that they should make known- 
his dream, together Avith the interpretation thereof, 
m 2 



180 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



upon pain of death. After some time, the king's de- 
termination was revealed unto Daniel. He requested 
a little respite might be allowed him, before the de- 
cree should be put in execution. This being granted, 
he went to his three religious companions, and desired 
them to join with him in fasting and prayer, to 
entreatthe Lord todiscoveruntohimtheking'sdream, 
and the interpretation thereof. The Lord was in- 
treated of Daniel and his three friends, and the whole 
matter from first to last, was revealed to him, unto 
the full satisfaction, and even astonishment of the 
king. The introduction to the dream is extremely 
beautiful. See Daniel ii. 1-30. The dream is this, 
Dan. ii. 31-35. The interpretation runs thus : Dan. 
ii. 37-45. The king was so affected with the wonder- 
ful manifestation of his inmost thoughts, that he was 
quite overcome, forgot his own dignity, and fell into 
an act of idolatry. Dan. ii. 46, 49.* 

The dream is so distinct, the interpretation of it so 
satisfactory, and the whole so perfectly conformable 
to the history of the world, as far as the several ages 
have hitherto proceeded, that no thoughtful man can 
help being exceedingly struck with the accuracy of 
the divine foreknowledge. 

The dream itself was the figure of an image in the 
form of a man, made principally of metal, but yet the 
metal was of different kinds. The head was of gold. 
This was an emblematical representarion of Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and the Babylonian empire over which 
he presided. The breast and the arms of the image 
were of silver. This was an emblematical represen- 
tation of the empire of Persia, which was to subvert 
and succeed the .Babylonian. Nebuchadnezzar was, 
at that time, the most powerful monarch in ail the 
earth, and made Babylon, the capital of his kingdom, 
the wonder of the world. Within sixty years, how- 

* Let the reader take his Bible, turn to these several 
passages, and consider them well, before he proceeds to the 
observations which follow. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 181 

i ever, the empire was overturned, and Babylon itself 
j taken by Cyrns the Great, afterwards king of Persia. 
■ The belly and thighs of the image were of brass. This 
i represented a third empire which was to succeed the 
! Babylonian and Persian. Accordingly, about two 
hundred years after the establishment of the Persian 
I empire, Alexander, King of Macedonia, a small state 
I in the upper part of Greece, marched against Darius, 
king of Persia, defeated him in three pitched battles, 
J and totally subverted the second of the four em- 
pires. The Grecian then became the third. The 
J fourth was represented by the legs of iron, and 
; feet part of iron and part of clay. This is the Roman ; 
for it was these people who subdued the four succes- 
sors of Alexander, and reduced their kingdoms into 
Roman provinces, and particularly Greece and Mace- 
donia, which were subdued by them one hundred and 
thirty years after the conquest of Persia by Alexander 
the Great, and two hundred years before the birth ot 
l Christ. The Roman empire then was the fourth and 
' last. It was represented in 1 this image by iron less, 
j and feet of iron and clay. " Thou sawest," says Da- 
niel to the king, " till that a stone was cut out without 
hands, which smote the image upon his feet that 
were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and 
the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like 
the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the 
wind carried them away, and no place was found for 
them ; and the stone that smote the image became a 
great mountain, and filled the whole earth." 

The four empires were all to be destroyed, and a fifth 
was to succeed, which was to be different from all that 
had gone before. The fourth, too, was to be unlike 
the two former in several respects. The image had 
iron legs. This implied, that the empire represented 
j by them was to be more powerful than any of those 
which had gone before. But then the feet and toes 
of the image were part of iron and part of clay. 



182 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



This was to denote, that the latter ages of the Roman 
empire were partly strong and partly weak. The 
ten toes, too, upon the feet of the imasre, were design- 
ed to represent ten kingdoms, into which the Roman 
empire was to he divided, just as the two feet of a 
human creature are split into ten ramifications. This 
is expressed by the prophet in the following manner : 
" Whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of 
potter's clay and part of iron ; the kingdom shall be 
divided; but there shall be in it of the strength 
of the iron ; forasmuch as thou sawest theiron mixed 
with miry clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong 
and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron 
mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves 
with the seed of men, but they shall not cleave one to 
another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." The 
meaning of which seems to be, the rulers of the ten 
kino'doms, into which the Roman empire will be di- 
vided, shall form marriages, alliances, and contracts 
one with another, from time to time, for supporting 
each other's interests; but none of their'schemes and 
alliances for obtaining: universal empire shall stand. 
They shall all be broken and come to nought. No 
universal empire shall ever exist upon earth again, 
till the spiritual empire of Jesus Christ, over the 
hearts, minds, souls, consciences, and lives of men 
takes place, Jesus, mauure all opposition, shall be 
an universal monarch, and the only universal monarch 
who shall ever exist again. 

It is not, however, expressly asserted in the prophe- 
cy before us, that the Roman empire should be split 
into ten kingdoms. It is only said the kingdom shall 
be divided. But though it is not asserted in so many 
words, it is strongly intimated by the ten toes on the 
two feet of the image. And the whole is more fully 
explained in Daniel's vision, recorded in the seventh 
chapter, where the beast, which is symbolical of the 
Roman empire, is represented with ten horns, as here 
the image with ten toes. And,indeed,it is necessary 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



183 



to the full understanding of this dream of Nebuchad- 
nezzar, that we should compare it with the vision of 
Daniel, which signifies the same thing under different 
images, with some additional circumstances. This 
vision of Daniel was near fifty years after the dream 
of Nebuchadnezzar. The first part of the vision is in 
Dan. vii. I, 8. 

After this, the prophet had a representation of the 
1 everlasting Father of the universe, with his eternal 
lj Son, the blessed Jesus, passing sentence upon the 
" little horn in these verses. A horn is a symbolical 
j representation of government, power, dominion. The 
government signified by this little horn was to be 
utterly destroyed, and Jesus is to erect his universal 
empire upon the ruins of it. See Dan. vii. 9, 14. 
This is the same glorious and universal kingdom of 
Messiah, which is described in Nebuchadnezzar's 
dream. Compare Dan. ii. 35, 44. 

When Daniel had beheld the judgment of the little 
horn, he did not understand the meaning of it. He 
! was, therefore, greatly troubled, and very desirous of 
knowing what the whole signified. After a little 
time, he took courage, and went up to one of the 
glorious beings, who stood by , to enquire. Where- 
upon the happy Spirit, that was in the train of Mes- 
siah, laid open to Daniel the outlines of the whole 
history of the corruptions of the Christian church, 
their rise, their progress, their amazing enormity, 
their subversion, and their total demolition. See 
Dan. vii. 15. 28. 
These are wonderful predictions,* in which we are 

• The reader will find these, and other predictions of 
Daniel, ably explained by the late Bishop Newton, in his 
I ** Dissertations on the Prophecies." Few of our most able 
writers on the prophecies, however, seem to me to have 
any idea that they apply to the Protestant establishments, 
as well as to the Catholic kingdoms. All these things are 
against us, and we are usually extremely backward to be« 
lieve what we do not wish to be true. 



184 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



all most nearly concerned ; because the awfnl times 
of which they speak, we have reason to believe, are 
just at hand ; and none of us know how soon we may 
be involved in the distresses which are here foretold. 
The Roman empire, we have seen, was to be broken 
up, and divided into ten kingdoms. Sometime, soon 
after the foundation of these ten kingdoms, which are 
denominated horns, there was to arise one little horn, 
one small dominion, underneath, or from behind three 
of the ten horns or kingdoms, into which the empire 
should be divided. This little horn was to conquer 
and subdue three of the ten horns, and to usurp their 
dominion. After this, it was to go on and increase 
more and more, till it had obtained a peculiar kind of 
power and jurisdiction over all the other seven horns. 
This one little horn, which was to become so great 
and powerful, was also to grow proud, and vain, and 
cruel, and bloody, and tyrannical, and idolatrous, and 
a vile persecutor of the true servants of the living 
God. This horribly bloody and tyrannical power was 
to be aided and assisted in its cruelties towards the 
genuine followers of the Lamb, by all the other seven 
kingdoms, over which it had obtained an unbounded 
influence. This wicked and cruel dominion was to 
continue a time, and times, and half a time. A time 
here, in prophetic language, signifies a Jewish year, 
which consisted of only three hundred and sixty days ; 
The times, then, will signify twice three hundred and 
sixty days ; and a half a time will signify half of three 
hundred and sixty days, or one hundred and eighty 
days. But a day, in the language of prophecy is put 
for a year. If, therefore, we" add these numbers to- 
gether, they will be thrice ihrep hundred and sixty 
years, and one hnndred and eighty years, or exactly 
one thousand two hundred and sfxty years, for the 
continuation of this bloody and tyrannical power ; at 
the end of which period it is to be completely and 
everlastingly destroyed. 
Now, let us look back and see whether all these 



I 



AND THE SACRED -WRITINGS. 



185 



strange predictions of Daniel have ever been accom- 
plished. 

The Roman empire was to be destroyed ; it was so, 
in the fifth and sixth centuries. It was to be divided 
into a number of small kingdoms; it was so, in the 
fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth centuries. A little 
j horn was to arise, unperceived, and subdue three of 
j the ten horns. The bishop of Rome, ina sort of secret 
j and imperceptible manner, did arise to temporal do- 
j minion, and subdued, by the help of Pepin, king of 
France, three of those ten states, into which the em- 
pire had been divided ; the senate of Rome, the 
kingdom of Lombard y, andtheexarchate of Ravenna, 
three governments all in Italy. And it is extremely 
remarkable, that upon becoming master of those three 
estates, the bishop of Rome assumed a triple crown, 
which he has worn ever since, and which he continues 
to wear to this very day ! — This is wonderful ! 

Now the bishop of Rome was to retain his power 
over these three states, and his influence over the 
seven other kingdoms, one thousand two hundred and 
sixty years. If we knew exactly when to begin to 
reckon these years, we should know precisely when 
the destruction of Antichrist would take place.* Some 
begin to reckon from the year 606, when the proud 
prelate of Rome was declared universal bishop. 
Others begin from the year 6(J6, the apocalyptic 
number; and others from the year 756, when he be- 
came a temporal prince. If the first period be right, 
then the pope of Rome, the undoubted' Antichrist of 
the New Testament, will be completely destroyed, as 
a horn, about the year ISCS. If the second period be 
intended by the Spirit of Prophecy, then his end will 
be near the year 1 926. But if the third period be the 

* The temporal poorer of the pope is already gone : what 
further remains to be done, a little more time, a few fleet- 
ing years, perhaps months, will show. How eventful is the 
present period ! 



186 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



time, then Antichrist will retain some part of his do- 
minion over the nations till about the year 2016.* 

Most evident it is, that he is rapidly falling. There 
is a great deal, however, yet to be done. But, " when 
God works, who shall let?" Much has been already 
done, and all will be accomplished in due time. " Not 
one word shall fall to the ground of all that the Lord 
hath spoken." 

Nay, not only shall Antichrist be overthrown, but 
even Rome itself, the place and city where he hath 
carried on his abominations for so many ages, shall 
be everlastingly destroyed. The language of Scrip- 
ture is extremely strong, and seems sufficiently clear 
and precise. t 

Thus Daniel : — " I beheld then, because of the voice 
of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld 
even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed 
and given to the burning flame." Thus, too, St. Paul, 
where he is probably speaking of Antichrist :— " The 
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his 
mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on 
them that know not God, and that obey not the gos- 
pel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished 
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the 
Lord, and from the glory of his power.'' And again, 
in another place in the same Epistle, where lie is 
certainly and professedly speaking of Antichrist, he 
saith : — " And then shall that wicked be revealed, 
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his 

* The number of bishops, whom we usually call popes, 
who have presided over the Romish church from ' its first 
institution by the apostles, is about two hundred and fifty 
or sixty; they have, therefore, presided only about seven 
years a-piece upon an average, 

fit is granted, that all the passages upon this subject are 
figurative and prophetic, and therefore must be interpreted 
with caution ! but yet they seem so strong and precise, 
that we cannot well understand them in any more moderate 
sense. Tne reader will compare them together, and form 
his own judgment. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 187 

mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his 
i coming." Thus, too, St. John :— -" The beast goeth 
into perdition." Again : — " Her plagues shall be in 
I one day, and she shall be utterly burnt with fire." — 
" The kings of the earth shall bewail her, and lament 
for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 
standing afar off for fear of her torment, saying, alas ! 
I alas ! that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for 
! in one hour is thy judgment come." — "In one hour 
| so great riches are come to nought!" — "They shall 
see the smoke of her burning !"— " And a mighty an- 
gel took up a stone like a great mill-stone, and cast it 
into the sea, saying, thus, with violence, shall that 
great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found 
no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musi- 
cians, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all 
in thee. And no craftsman, of whatever craft he be, 
shall be found any more in thee ; and the sound of a 
millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee ; and 
the light of a candle shall shine no more at ail in thee ; 
and the voice of the bridegroom and the bride shall 
be heard no more at all in thee." Immediately after 
these words, all the inhabitants of heaven are repre- 
sented as rejoicing, and saying, Hallelujah! "And 
her smoke rose up for ever and ever." 

It will be allowed, that these are very strong ex- 
pressions, and imply a punishment extremely severe. 
It is remarkable, too, that all the country about the 
city of Rome is a kind of bitumen, or pitchy substance. 
And in the year of our Lord 80, a fire burst out from 
beneath the ground, in the mifldle of the city, and 
burnt four of the principal heathen temples, with the 
sacred buildings of the Capitol. Italy, indeed, is a 
storehouse of fire. " And when the one thousand two 
hundred and sixty years are expired, Rome itself, with 
all its magnificence, will be absorbed in alake of fire, 
sink into the sea, and rise no more at all for ever."* 

* Being: persuaded of the destruction of this metropolis of 
the Christian world, one cannot help feeling pleasure that 



188 



A FLEA FOR RELIGION 



It was this grand Antichristian apostacy,* of which 
we have been speaking, that St. Paul un questionably 
alludes to, in 2 Thess. ii. 1-12; in 1 Tim. iv. 13': 
and in 2 Tim. iii. 1-5. St John speaks of the same 
thins:, 1 John ii. 18, 22 : and in the Book of Revela- , 
tion be hath described the abominations of the Church 
of Rome at considerable length, but in language high- , 
ly figurative.* if we will be at the pains to lay all 
these predictions together, and compare them with 
those of Daniel, before mentioned, we cannot fail see- 
ins- to whom all the characters belong;, and how awful 
the destruction is, which awaits this mother of abomi- 
nations. 

"But what is all this to us ? Have we notions: ago 
renounced the errors and delusions of the Church of 

the French have removed many of the finest pieces of art 
from this vast repository of curiosities. [*] 

[*J The great regret is, that the French should have ob- 
tained these valuable acquisitions in a manner -which proves 
that they are totally unworthy of them, aud are so little 
capable of properly estimating their value. What a source 
of wealth and splendour might not such monuments have 
procured to an honourable people. Distinguished foreigners 
of all nations, attracted by them, would have poured into 
the French metropolis to be gratified with the sisrht. But 
the despot, then ruling France, gave them such a warn- 
ing in his equally unjust and impolitic detention of the 
English, that all foreigners will regard his metropolis in the 
lisrht of a bastile, and his dominions as the land of cruelty, 
of blood, and of death. — Editot*. 

* Alexander Pope, Esq., though a Catholic, as is supposed, 
to the day of his death, was convinced that the Church of 
Rome had all the marks of that Antichristian power pre- 
dicted in the writings of the New Testament. And though 
he had not courage enough to profess himself a Protestant, 
he was firnilv persuaded of the truths of Christianity. — 
Rufihead, p. 542. 

+ The seven seals in this hieroglyphical book refer to 
Rome in her Pagan state ; the seven trumpets to the Roman 
empire in its Christian state ; and the seven vials to the 
same Roman empire, broken into ten kingdoms, in its 
Popish and Antichristian state. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



180 



Rome, and declared ourselves professors of the genu- 
ine doctrine of the Redeemer of mankind ? May we 
not expect, therefore, to be delivered from those judg- 
ments, which have already fallen upon France and 
other countries, and which shall assuredly fall on all 
the Antichristian states in Europe, which formerly 
made a part of the Roman empire !" 

The ten* kingdoms, before spoken of, we know, are 
all to fall at the end of the said one thousand two 
hundred and sixty years from the time they owned 
the dominion of the little horn. Now, England, is 
universally allowed to be one of the ten. If we be- 
gin to reckon the one thousand two hundred and sixty 
years from the time when Gregory the Great, pope 
of Rome, sent over Austin and his companions to 
preach the gospel to oar idolatrous ancestors, there 
are a few years yet to expire before our doom shall be 
sealed in the courts above. t The French can have no 
power against us till the commission is signed by the 
Governor of the world. The times and the seasons he 
hath reserved in his own hand. Nations do not rise 
and fall by chance. 

"But, is there no possibility of preventing, or 
avoiding the universal subversion awaiting both us 
and all the other kingdoms of Europe, which consti- 
tuted parts of the ancient empire?" 

There seems to be one way,$ and but one, in the 

* These ten kingdoms began to take their rise about the 
year of our Lord 450, and proceeded more and more towards 
permanency for many years. The revolutions and convul- 
sions of those ages were horribly cruel, bloody, and dis- 
tressing. 

t There is some reason, from the present appearance of 
things, to suppose that the one thousand two hundred and 
sixty prophetical years must be calculated from a period some- 
what earlier than the commencement of the seventh cen- 
tury. The year of our Lord 538 accords with the downfall 
of the pope's temporal dominion, A D. 1798, 

% I am led to think there is still a possibility of averting 
our unhappy doom, from the' case of Nineveh in Jonah; 



190 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



nature of things. And what may that be ? I am 
sorry to say it is one which is by no means likely to 
take place. It is, a thorough" reformation both in 
theory aod practice, in church and state; a general 
reformation in the moral and religious conduct of the 
inhabitants of this country. For these purposes, must, 
not religion be reduced to gospel purity and simplici- 
ty ?* must not the church be totally unconnected with, 

and that of Jerusalem in Jeremiah, particularly chapter 
xxvi. 1-8, It were happy for us, if the possibility amounted 
to a probability. Compare Jeremiah xviii, 1-10. Our 
safety by no means depends upon our more frequent repe- 
tition of Pharisaical forms, and superstitious ceremonies, 
but upon correcting what is amiss in our morals, and un- 
evangelical in our doctrines and ecclesiastical constitution, 
Was not the late pope of Rome dethroned at the very mo- 
ment he was surrounded by his cardinals, and celebrating 
his own exaltation to the papal chair ? Was there ever a 
more worthy and religious pope than his late holiness ? 
Were the ancient Jews ever more strictly and supersti- 
tiously religious, than when they crucified the Lord of 
Glory? or, than when their temple and nation were de- 
stroyed? 

* Consult Dr, Hartley, in his " Observations on Man," for 
a more particular account of the fall of the establishment 
in Christendom, Our ecclesiastical governors would do 
well to weigh seriously what that learned physician has said 
upon this subject, while yet there is time. See Part ii. 
Prop. 82, But what can we expect from men who are sur- 
rounded with worldly honours, entitled to a vast patronage 
of livings, and tempted with near 100,000?. a year, to let 
things continue as they are? He must be almost more than 
a man, whose virtue rises above such seducements. Tillot- 
son, Burnet, and others, will complain all is not right, will 
profess they wish things to be altered, but how seldom do 
we find a bishop or dignified clergyman, who believe the 
Scriptures so firmly as to renounce all the riches and ho- 
nours of this world, and to walk according to the unadul- 
terated gospel of the Saviour of mankind ! When a man is 
made a D.D. does not the spirit of a D.D. usually come upon 

him ; and when a B p, the spirit of a B p? Though 

he had been ever so eager for the removal of these abuses 
before, does he not usually endeavour to lull conscience to 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



191 



and separate from, the civil const 1 ' tution ? This is 
the opinion of some respectable men. Must not our 

rest, and even become an advocate for the continuance of 
things in their present state ? To be sure he iiath much to 
lose, and little to gain, by any change that can take place ; 
and " a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." When 
a man has subscribed an indefinite number of times to a set 
of propositions, some of which he doubts, and others of 
which he disbelieves, it is a thousand to one but he goes on 
to the end of the chapter, and sinks at last into eternal 
perdition, as a base prevaricator with God and conscience. 
If, in such a case, we can be in a state of safety for eter- 
nity, I am clearly of opinion religion is all a farce, and it 
is of little consequence, with respect to the future world, 
whether we be Christians or Heathens, Jews or Mahome- 
tans. — " God requireth truth in the inward parts." It 
should seem, that the civil part of the British constitution 
is also capable of considerable improvement. Every thing 
of both kinds, however, might easily be accomplished by 
the enlightened endeavours of our present legislature. Do 
not the criminal laws of the country likewise stand in need 
of revisal ? Let any man judge of the truth of this, when 
it is considered that we have upwards of one hundred and 
sixty offences punishable with death. The jurisprudence 
also of the country seems to want reform in a variety of 
respects. The court of chancery in particular is enormously 
tedious and expensive. [*] Do not other departments of the 
law, too, need much reform ? In the county of Middlesex 
alone, in the year 1793, the number of bailable writs and 
executions for debts from 102. to 2U2. amounted to no less 
than five thousand seven hundred and twelve, and the 
aggregate amount of debts sued for, to 81,7912. The costs 
of these actions, although made up and not defended at 
all, would amount to 68,7282. And, if defended, the aggre- 
gate expense to recover 81,7912. must be no less than 
285,9202. ! being considerably more than three times the 
amount of the debts sued for or defended. At present, the 
rule is, to allow the same costs for forty shillings as for 
10,0002. Why are these abuses permitted to continue? Is 
not the case but too clear? In short, "the whole head is 
sick, and the whole heart faint ; from the sole of the foot 
even unto the head there is no soundness among us." The 
[*]The editor is credily informed that there are causes in 
this court which have been in prosecution above a century. 



192 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



bishops and clergy be reduced to the scriptural stand- 
ard? Jesus Christ ieft sole king in his own church? and 
human ordinances, in things sacred, give way to di- 
vine prescription ? Without these great moral and 
religious changes, can we expectto be preserved from 
the general wreck of Europe ? And whether these 
changes are likely to take place among us, let any- 
cool and impartial observer judge. Should not our 
learned bishops and clergy see these things, and 
zealously attempt a reformation in themselves, in the 
ecclesiastical part of the constitution of the country, 
and among the great body of the people? Should 
they not universally " cry aloud and spare not ; and 
sound the trumpet in God's holy mountain ?" Should 
w r e not all set ourselves in good earnest to stem the 
torrent of iniquity, whiehoverflowsthesehappy lands, 
and threatens to involve us in one general calamity ? 
The time is come. God hath sent forth the sword 
among the nations, and it is reformation or ruination.* (J 

B s play into the hands of the C y, the L s into 

the hands of the A s, the P s into' the hands of the 

A s, &c. &cc. &c. thus the world goes round. There is 

more truth in Mr. Pope's observation tiian at first appears — 
that " an honest man's the noblest work of God." — Yide 
Treatise on the Police of London. 

* It is not enough that such men as P s, B n, 

"W n, H y, P y, and others, should contend in 

favour of the gospel of Christ, while they themselves are, 
by their conduct, the grand supporters of our ecclesiastical 
hierarchy, with all its corruptions. If they wish effectually 
to serve their country, and the cause of humanity, they 
should apply their rare abilities to reduce the national re- 
ligion to the pure standard of the gospel. But what can 
we expect, when men's eyes are blinded, and their hearts 
bribed by worldly honours and preferments 1 Abundance ! 
of persons in the church of Rome have seen, and do now j 
see, the abuses and corruptions of that church — Father Paul, 
for instance, in the last age, Dr. Geddes and Mr. Berrington 
in the present — but they cannot prevail upon themselves to 
quit their stations : — Rev. xiv. 9-11, should be consulted : — 
so some persons with us have long seen the abuses and ttn- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



Without this, it may be declared by the authority of 
the word of the Lord, that as soon as ever the pre- 

evangelical traits of our own church, and yet they make 
themselves easy, by writing in defence of the immortal cause 
of Christianity, while the vessel in which they themselves 
are embarked is in danger of being dashed against the rocks. 
If one man has a right to prevaricate, and subscribe what 
he does not believe, why has not another 1 Though of a 
sentiment in religion very different, I must say Ithat Lind- 
sey, Jebb, Hammond, Disney, and others, who have sacri- 
ficed their preferment to the peace of their own minds, are 
honourable men, deserving of all praise. But can we say 
the same of those clergymen, who go on subscribing and 
swearing to various particular propositions, which they well 
know or believe to be wrong ? There is some reason to 
suppose Mr. Chiliingworth's conduct has had a considerable 
effect in reconciling the clergy to subscribe to doctrines 
which they avowedly do not believe. For this great man 
declared, in a letter to Dr. Sheldon, that, "If he subscribed, 
he subscribed to his own damnation," and yet, in no long 
space of time, he actually did subscribe to the articles of 
the church again and again ! " Lord ! what is man ?" — 
Vide " Biog. Britt." by Kippis, vol. iii. p. 516. The salvo 
by which he and some other clergymen, highly respectable, 
got over their scruples, is to subscribe the thirty-nine arti- 
cles as articles and terms of peace. This, however, appears 
to me a shameful evasion, and inconsistent with common 
honesty. At this rate, a man in Italy may subscribe to 
Pope Pius's creed ; in Turkey, the Koran of Mahomet ; or, 
in a Jewish government, the Talmud of the Rabbins. [*] 
Since the above was written, 1 have been struck with a 

[*] Certain it is, that if a man may lie and prevaricate in 
order to insure his own peace, or even the peace of the na- 
tion, he may with equal propriety commit any other crime 
with the same view, be it theft, adultery, murder, or what 
not, But let him take heed that by these pre% r arications 
he lose not that peace which is of all others the most valu- 
able, the most easily lost, and the most hardly acquired, 
namely, peace of conscience, or the testimony of his con- 
science that he pleases God. And what a dreadful reflec- 
tion does this sentiment convey on government by some 
who would probably be thought its best friends, that it 
allows of peace only on terms with which no conscientious 
man can comply. — Editor. 
N 



m 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



dieted one thousand two hundred and sixty years are 
accomplished^ we shall be " swept away with the 

similar sentiment in the first part of Mr. Paine's " Age of 
Reason ;" and here, at least, I have the pleasure of agreeing 
with that celebrated Deist, though we differ toto ccvlo upon 
almost every thing where the Sacred Writings are concern- 
ed : — " It is impossible," says he very justly, " to calculate 
the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying 
has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted 
and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to subscribe his 
professional belief in things he does not believe, he has prepar- 
ed himself for the commission of every other crime. He takes 
up the trade of a priest for the sake of gain, and in order 
to qualify himself for that trade he begins with a perjury. 
Can we conceive any thing more destructive to morality 
than this ?" This subject is considered in a very serious 
point of view by Bishop Burnet, in his " Pastoral Care," 3d 
edit. p. 96-99, only he applies it to our declaring we are moved 
by the Holy Ghost to preach the gospel. A certain respect- 
able clergyman of our church, whose writings on some sub- 
jects have few equals, hath said, — " If any one asks what i 
the expressions in Scripture, ' regenerate' — ' born of the 
Spirit' — 1 new creatures' mean ? — W^e answer, that they mean 
nothing! nothing to us! — nothing to be found, or sought 
for, in the present circumstances of Christianity." — This 
gentleman well knows, that these declarations of his are 
extremely different from the doctrines of the Church of ' 
England, and yet, since he published these sentiments, he 
has subscribed more than once, and, as far as appears, 
would subscribe again and again, if iwo or three more good 
preferments should fall in his way. My indignation com- 
pels me to say, that a body of clergy of that description — 
however learned, ingenious, and worthy they may be in other 
respects— deserves extirpating from the face of the earth ; 
and, if there be a judgment to come, our doom will be un- 
commonly severe. The Scripture declares, " all liars shall 
have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brim- 
stone." And what more solemn lie can there be, than sub- 
scribing our names, that we believe a number of proposi- 
tions, which in our consciences we judge to be false? unless 
it be that other declaration, we " trust we are moved by 
the Holy Ghost to preach the gospel," when we do not be- 
lieve there is any Holy Ghost, but laugh at every pretension 
of the sort as Methodism and enthusiam ? If the " Lord is 



I 



AN D THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



195 



besom of destruction." For thus saith the infallible 
oracle : — " Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the 
silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and 
became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, 
and the wind carried them away, that no place was 
found for them." The four empires and ten kingdoms, 
as they are now constituted, shall, along with the whole 
of Babylon, be swept from the face of the earth, and 
be known no more at all in their present forms. And 
what shall be the issue? Afflictive as the change 
may be, the end shall prove glorious. " In the days 
of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a king- 
dom, whichshall never be destroyed, and the kingdom 
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in 
pieces, and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall 
stand for ever." All people, nations, and languages, 
shall serve the Redeemer of mankind in the true 
spirit and power of religion. " His dominion, is an 
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and 
his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. The 
kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the 
kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to 
the people of the saints of the Most High, whose 
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions 
shall serve and obey him." — " Then shall the wolf 
dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down 
with the kid ; and the calf, and the young lion, and 
the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 
And the cow and the bear shall feed ; their young 
ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat 

a God of knowledge, by whom actions are weighed," we 
prevaricating parsons shall have a sad account to give ano- 
ther day. We may keep up our heads a few years now, 
while in possession of two or three good livings, and the 
world smiles upon us, but the day of darkness is at no 
great distance, when nothing but integrity and conscious 
uprightness will stand us in any stead. If once the clergy 
become generally prevaricators with their solemn subscrip- 
tions, the fate of the English church is determined. 



106 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



straw like an ox. And the sucking child shall play 

on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put 
his hand on the cockatrice den." The followers of 
Jesus shall never hurt or destroy one another again, 
but u shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and 
their spears into pruning hooks ; nation shall not lift 
up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war 
any more ; for the earth shall befullof the knowledge 
of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."* 

" But still it is not easy to discern why a Protes- 
tant nation should share the common fate of the 
Catholic countries, even upon the principles of the 
prophetic Scriptures." 

Possibly. — But have you reflected upon the fate of 
Holland, Geneva, and the reformed cantons of Swit- 
zerland? They were wholly Protestant, and made 
their boast of being more pure than most other 
churches of the reformed religion : and yet they had 
undergone the same changes as the Catholic states, 
though with infinitely less blood and slaughter. And 
I strongly suspect, that though the Popef and the 

* The reader may consult and compare other prophecies 
of a similar kind with the above, particularly Isaiah ii. 1-5, 
and Micah iv. 1-5. 

t The Pope of Rome may be, and probably is, a worthy 
and respectable private character. There have been many 
such in the course of ages. But, because he is at the head 
of the great apostacy from the genuine gospel of Christ, he 
shall go into perdition, let his own moral conduct be what 
it may. So the late King of France was a worthy man, and 
had many and considerable virtues ; yet because he was at 
the head of one of the ten antichristian kingdoms which 
gave its power to the support of the Beast ; and because the 
1260 prophetical years in that kingdom were expired, he 
went into perdition in a manner the most afflictive that can 
be conceived. [*] King George, too, was a most worthy 

[*] 'Tis somewhat singular that the learned author should 
nowhere have noticed the celebrated work of Mr. Fleming. 
That this gentleman should in so remarkable and expressive 
a manner have foretold the year of the French Revolution, 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



197 



church of Rome may be, and certainly are, at the 
head of the grand 1260 years delusion, yet all other 
churches, of whatever denomination, whether esta- 
blished, or tolerated, or persecuted, which partake of 
the same spirit, or have instituteddoctrines and cere- 
monies inimical to the pure and unadulterated Gospel 
of Christ, shall sooner or later share in the fate of 
that immense fabric of human ordinances. 

That we have various things in our ecclesiastical 
establishment which cannot be defended, upon the 
pure principles of the Son of God, seems to many un- 
questionable. Our excellent Reformers* did great 

character, and his successors, we trust, will be the same » 
but unless there shall be piety and wisdom enough in the 
government of the country, civil and religious, to reform 
radically the constitution, and render it consi tent with the 
true spirit of Divine Revelation, there is reason to tremble 
for the consequence. Private worth, it is evident for a 
thousand examples, will never protect public and general 
depravity from the punishment due, and the destruction 
denounced. All that can be said for it is, that the fate of a 
nation may, for a season, be suspended, till the Noahs, the 
Daniels, the Jobs, and the Josiahs, are taken out of the Avay. 
Consult the pamphlet entitled " Reform or Ruin," for some 
useful hints. That pamphlet, however, though containing 
valuable matter, as far as it goes, leaves the constitutional 
defects of the country untouched, and seems to take for 
granted all is there pretty near as it should be. 

and the extreme degradation of the French Monarchy, is 
surely a circumstance deserving of great attention. His 
whole work is interesting, but it is much to be hoped that 
his conjecture respecting the general prevalence of Popery 
is not equally well founded. The modesty and piety of the 
performance carry with them a great recommendation. — 
Editor. 

* It has been the opinion of many disinterested persons, 
that several of our church appendages are not only unne- 
cessary, but pernicious. Archbishop Cranmer in particular 
speaks in strong terms against some, which he was obliged 
from the necessity of circumstances to retain. In a letter 
to Lord Cromwell, he says, " Having had experience, both 
In times past, and also in our days, how the sect of preben- 



198 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION. 



things, considering how they had been educated, and 
the age in which they lived. They were good men, 
and proceeded, in their regenerating work, much 
further than might have been expected; but their 
successors have not followed the noble example set 
before them, of reducing the religious establishment 
of the country to primitive purity, and evangelical 
simplicity.* We have been contented to suffer our 

daries have not only spent their time in much idleness, ar.d 
their substance in superfluous belly-cheer, I think it not to 
be a convenient state or degree to be maintained and esta- 
blished. Considering, first, that commonly a prebendary is 
neither a learner, nor a teacher, but a good viander. Then 
by the same name they look to be chief, and to bear all 
the whole rule and pre-eminence in the college where they 
be resident : by means whereof, the younger of their own 
nature, given more to pleasure, good cheer, and pastime, 
than to abstinence, study, and learning, shall easily be 
brought from their books to follow the appetite and example 
of the same prebendaries, being their heads and rulers. 
And the state of the prebendaries hath been so excessively 
abused, that when learned men have been admitted into 
such room, many times they have desisted from their good 
and godly studies, and all other virtuous execise of preach- 
ing and teaching. — Monthly Mag. for May, 1798. 

* " There are many prophecies which declare the fall of 
the ecclesiastical powers of the Christian world. And though 
each church seems to flatter itself with the hopes of being 
exempted, yet it is very plain that the prophetical characters 
belong to all. They have all left the true, pure, simple religion, 
and 'teach for doctrines the commandments of men.' They 
are all merchants of the earth, and have set up a kingdom 
of this world, abounding in riches, temporal power, and 
external pomp. They have all a dogmatizing spirit, and 
persecute such as do not receive their own mark, and wor- 
ship the image which they have set up. It is very true, that 
the Church of Rome is ' Babylon the Great, and the mother 
of harlots, and the abominations of the earth but all the 
rest have copied her example." — Hartley's " Observations on 
Man." p. 2, sect. 82. Be it observed that Hartley was no 
Dissenter, but a most serious, learned, and candid churchman, 
and wrote near fifty years ago. If my memory does not fail 
me, Dr. Downham, sometime since Bishop of Derry in Ire- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 199 



religious constitution, ourdoctrinces,and ceremonies, 
and forms of public worship, to remain nearly in the 
same unpurged, unadulterated, and superstitious 
state, in which the original reformers left them.* At 
least, the alterations which have been made since 

land, reckoned up 600 gross errors in the system of Popery. 
If any person will seriously consider the low aud supersti- 
tious state of the minds of men in general in the time of James 
L, much more in the reigns of his predecessors, he will not 
be surprised to find, that there are various matters in our 
ecclesiastical constitution which require some alteration. 
Our forefathers did great things, and we cannot he sufficient- 
ly thankful for their labours ; but much more remains to be 
done ; and it will be found a task of no ordinary difficulty 
peaceably and quietly to reduce things to a pure evangelical 
state. This never can be done, indeed, but by a strong 
concurrence of providential circumstances. The approbation 
of his Majesty, with a majority in the two Houses of Par- 
liament, might easily effect every thing that is desirable. 
This would render a reformation practicable, without danger 
to the throne. But it should seem that, with danger, or 
without danger, the prophecies of Daniel being true, such a 
change must take place, sooner or later. The power of re- 
forming whatever is amiss is one of the peculiar excellencies 
of the British constitution. — Consult Simpson's " Key to the 
Prophecies," in a note on the last sheet, for some thoughts 
on this subject. 

* Cranmer, Bucer, Jewel, and others, never considered the 
reformation, which took place in their own time, as complete. 
They did what they could, and what the humours of men 
would then bear, and left to their successors to accomplish 
what was still lacking. — Vide Neale's " History of the Puri- 
tans," vol. i. ch. 1 and 2, where evidence for these assertions 
is produced at some length. And now that I have mention- 
ed this work, I beg leave to recommend it in the warmest 
terms, as containing abundance of the most important and 
authentic information concerning the history of the English 
churches, from the time of the Reformation, in the reign of 
Henry VIII., to the Revolution under William III., in the 
year 1688. The last edition, enlarged by Dr. Toulmin, is by 
far the best. No clergyman of the Establishment should be 
without these valuable volumes. It is the interest of truth 
alone which we should wish to advance. 



200 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Edward the Sixth's time have been few and incon- 
siderable. And the very last improvements, which 
took place in our ecclesiastical frame of things, werein 
the reign of that haughty, persecuting, wavering, and 
yet tyrannical bigot, James I., who would bear no 
contradiction, but establish every thingjust according 
to his own pleasure.* 

Indeed, to many well-informed persons, it seems 
extremely quest ionable whether the religion of Jesus 
Christ admits of any civil establishment at all. They 
rather suppose it is inconsistent with the very nature 
of it, and that it was never designed to be incorpo- 
rated with any secular institution whatever. t Certain 

* Vide the Conference at Hampton Court for the overbear- 
ing of this pedantic king, and the fulsome flattery of court 
bishops. Several persons, moreover, were put to death in 
this reign for their religious opinious. Is not this one of the 
infallible marks of the Beast? The next serious effort for 
reformation in cur church, was soon after the Reformation. 
Charles the Second behaved handsomely at first upon the 
occasion : "but, acting under the control of a number of 
bigotted and high-priestly bishops, whose minds were still 
sore with resentment, he afterwards forfeited all his merit 
as the guardian of religious liberty, and became a vile and 
cruel persecutor. Is not this, too, an indubitable mark of 
the Beast ? After this, again, a very serious attempt was 
made to remove the things objected to in our church, soon 
after the Revolution, under the auspic s of those excellent 
men, Tillotson, Patrick, Tennison, Kidder, Stiilingfleet, Bur- 
net, and others, but being opposed by a large number of 
old-wifely bishops, all their efforts came to nothing. They 
had been accustomed to read mumpsimus all their lives, and 
mumpsimus it should be, they were determined ; and the 
two Houses of Parliament were disposed to acquiesce in their 
papistical and superstitious views. We shall rarely have 
again, at one time, such a constellation of learned, pious, 
and liberal-minded bishops, as then adorned the English 
church. 

t It is a remarkable fact, lately brought to light, that the 
immense empire of China, which is said to contain 333 
millions of inhabitants, has no established religion. And, in 
the opinion of many, the gospel of Jesus Christ will never 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 201 



it is, that it made its way at first, not only with- 
out human aid, but even in opposition to all laws, 
both civil and religious, when they prevailed in the 
Roman empire. This was the state of it for upwards 
of 300 years. It seems, too, to be the intention of Di- 
vine Providence to reduce it again to the same simple 
and unconnected state. America hath set the exam- 
ple. France, Italy, Holland, and Switzerland, are 
going the same way. And it is highly probable, that 
all the other states in Europe will, in due time, follow 
the same steps. As things now are in this country, 
the religion of Jesus Christ, which was not only " not 
to be of this world,"* but. in direct opposition to it,t 
is certainly in a great degree a temporal, worldly, 
civil institution. At least it is a strange mixture of 
things, secular and religious. $ It is nearly as much 
so, as it is in the Catholic countries. 

have its fall and proper effect upon mankind, till it is 
completely disentangled from every human institution. 
Leave it to itself; let it have fair play; clog it not with 
civil pains and penalties; let it stand or fall by its ovvn in- 
trinsic worth ; let neither kings or bishops lay their officious 
hands upon it; and then see how it will make its way among 
men. The greatest possible motive by which man can be 
animated, is the salvation of his own soul. If this will not 
move us, nothing else will be of any avail. These are the 
sentiments of some very sensible and well-informed persons, 
"Whether they are right in this respect, I leave others to 
judge. To me there seems some weight in them. 

* See John xviii. 38, 37, where Christ claims a kingdom, 
t Compare Matt. v. 3-12, where he asserts the nature of 
that kingdom, and the qualifications of his subjects. 

% One of our English poets, who was even a bigot of the 
church, hath expressed himself on this subject in the man- 
ner following : — 

" Inventions added in a fatal hour, 

Human appendages of pomp and power. 

Whatever shines in outward grandeur great, 

I give it up — a creature of the state. 

Wide of the church, as hell from heaven is wide, 

The blaze of riches, and the glare of pride, 



202 A FLEA FOR RELIGION 

As to the king or queen of any country, as the case 
is, being head of the church, and having the appoint- 
ment of bishops, and the nomination to church livings, 
it is conceived by many to be utterly inconsistent 
with the very essence of the evangelical dispensation, ! 
and the unalienable rights of mankind. They will 

The vain desire to be entitled Lord, 
The worldly kingdom, and the princely sword. 
But should the bold usurping spirit dare 
Still higher climb, and sit in Moses' chair, 
Pow'r o'er my faith and conscience to maintain, 
Shall I submit, and suffer it to reign ? 
Call it the church, and darkness put for light, 
Falsehood with truth confound, and wrong with right ? 
No : I dispute the evil's haughty claim, 
The spirit of the world be still its name, 
Whatever call'd by man 'tis purely evil, 
'Tis Babel, Antichrist, and Pope, and Devil." 
It is a curious circumstance in the history of religion in the 
present day, that while light, and knowledge, and liberality 
of sentiment are rapidly diffusing themselves among man- 
kind, a respectable clergyman should be found among us, 
who cuts off from salvation most of the foreign Protestant 
churches, and the whole body of Dissenters of every deno- 
mination in this country, but by the uncovenanted mercies 
of God. This is a most serious and important consideration. 
Yet this hath been done by Mr Daubeny, in his " Guide to 
the Church," and seemingly, too, with the full approbation 
of the editor of the " British Critic."[*] It certainly is in- 
cumbent upon Dissenters of all denominations to consider 
well what this learned gentleman has advanced, and either 
to refute the force of his arguments, or conform to the 
established religion of the country. Sir Richard Hill, in 
his " Apology for Brotherly Love," has given such an answer 
to Mr. Daubeny's "Guide," as that gentleman will not be 
easily able to refute. If the doctrine of the " Guide" be 
right, I do not see how we can be fairly justified in leaving | 
the church of Rome. The capital mistake of the whole 
seems to be, a subsitution of the church of England for the 
church of Christ, exactly in the same manner as the Catho- 
lics substitute the church of Rome for the church of Christ. 

[*] The editor begs leave to refer to the masterly review 
of this author's writings in the " Christian Observer." 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



203 



tell us, that neither his Majesty — whom God preserve i 
nor the Lord Chancellor, nor his Majesty's ministers, 
have, or can have, any concern in the government of 
the church, or the appointment of officers in it, or to 
it, directly or indirectly, according to the spirit of 
the Gospel, but only in their private capacities as in- 
dividual members of the church . No man upon earth, 
as it seems to them, is entitled to any such power. 
They scruple not to say, it is one of the very worst 
actsof Popery, and an infallible criterion of an anti- 
christian assuming. Matt. xx. 20, 28, and xxiii. 1, 
12, are usnally referred to upon this occasion. 

As the law now stands in this country, the king is 
absolute head of the church, and the fountain of an 
ecclesiastical power ; but, so far as the patronage of 
benefices goes, this is more nominal than real ; for, 
in truth, there are as many heads as there are patrons 
of livings. A drunken, swearing, libertine Lord 
Chancellor, who is living in open fornication or adul- 
tery, contrary to every law human and divine, if such 
chance to be his character, as sometimes is the case, 
has the appointment to a large number of livings. A 
corrupt, vile, unbelieving, immoral, wicked minister 
of state, if such happen to be his character, has the 
nomination to abundance of others. A Roman Catho- 
lic, or some of the most immoral of the nobility or 
gentry of the land, very frequently have the patronage 
of others. In not a few instances, ladies have the 
presentation to church preferments. These are all 
virtually and substantially so many heads of the 
church ; while the king or queen is only nominally 
and partially so. This is surely a lamentable state of 
things. Can any man wonder at the spread of infi- 
delity and irreligion? Can we justly expect other 
than the downfall of such a system of corrupt worldly 
policy ? It is well known how harsh and disagreeable 
these melancholy truths will sound in the ears of in- 
terested men, and men who swallow every thing as 
gospel to which they have been long accustomed ; 



204 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

but I affirm it with all possible seriousness, again and 
again, that, as I understand the Scriptures, a radical 
reform, and the removal of all these secular circum- 
stances, alone can save us, for any length of time, 
from national distress. I refer our bishops, and beg i 
they will seriously consider the awful declaration, to 
Dan. ii. 35, 44, before mentioned. Is not the time 
for its accomplishment fast approaching, and near at 
hand ? 

I have spoken above of the patronage of church 
livings. Some of my readers may be in a great degree 
strangers to the state of it. I have taken some pains 
to inform myself upon the subject, and I find that it 
stands nearly in the following proportions. I speak 
generally, but yet accurately enough for the purposes 
of common information. It is well known, then, that 
the church livings of England and V/ales, make to- 
gether, speaking in round numbers, about ten thou- 
sand. Of these near a thousand are in the gift of the 
king. It is customary, however, for the lord chancel- 
lor to present to all the livings, under the value of 20Z., 
in the king's book, and for'the ministers of state to 
present to all the rest. Those under 20Z. are about 
7«0, and those above near 180. Upwards of 1600 | 
pieces of church preferment, of different sizes and 
descriptions, are in the gift of the 26 bishops; more 
than 600 in the presentation of the two universities ; 
about 1000 in the gift of the several cathedrals, and 
other clerical institutions ; about 5700 livings are in 
the nomination of the nobility and gentry of the land, 
men, women, and children; and 50 or 60 there may 
be of a description different from any of the above, 
and nearer to the propriety of things. These are all 
so many heads of the church, in a very strong sense 
of the words, the king or queen of the country being 
a kind of arch-head.* Moreover, the bishops of the 

* Bishop Jewel, in a letter dated May 22, 1559, writes, 
" that the Queen (Elizabeth) refuses to be called Head of 
the Church ; and adds, that title could not be justly given 



AND TKE SACRED WHITINGS. 



205 



establishment are, contrary to all ancient usage 3 
chosen by the civil power, the clergy and people over 
whom they preside not having the least negative upon 
their election. When they are chosen, too, they take 
their seats in the upper house of parliament, and act 
in most respects like unto the temporal lords. I will 
not say that this may not be good human policy, 
supposing the kingdom of Christ to be a mere 
worldly sovereignty ; but it appears to me utterly 
inconsistent with the spirituality of our Saviour's 
empire, and has had for many ages a most unhappy 
effect upon the interests of his religion in the world.* 
Their emoluments are of such a nature, their worldly 
engagements so numerous, and the temptations to 
the pleasures, honours, and amusements of life, so 
strong, that their mindsbecome secularized, and they 
lose all lively relish for the peculiar duties of ministers 
of the gospel ; which they, therefore, very generally 
commit to the inferior orders of the clergy. They are 
nearly as much officers of the crown as the judges 
and magistrates of the land. They are chosen by the 
civil power ; they are virtually paid by the civil 
power alone, the clergy and the people not possessing 
the least control. And then as to the titles by which 

to any mortal, it being due only to Christ ; and that such 
titles had been so much abused by Antichrist, that they 
ought not to be any longer continued." — Bishop Burnet's 
Travels, let. i. p. 52. Cardinal Wolsey, under Henry VIII., 
was head of the English church, and one of the greatest 
tyrants over the consciences of men that ever existed. 
Blessed be God for the Reformation ! and the present liberty 
we enjoy! 

* If the gospel of Christ gave encouragement to such a 
state of things as this, much as I now admire it, I would 
reject ail its pretensions, as a divine scheme, with indigna- 
tion. I do not wonder that the world abounds with infidels 
and infidelity! What a pity, however, men will not distin- 
guish between the use of the gospel, and the abuse of it! — 
between the gospel itself, and the additions which have 
been made to it by interested men! 



206 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



they are designated, they appear to carry the most 
indisputable marks of the anti-christian apostacy. 
His Grace, the Most Reverend Fathpr in God, William, 
by Divine Providence, Lord Archbishop of Canter- 
bury ! — The Right Reverend Father in God, John, by 
Divine permission, Lord Bishop of London! — What 
is there in the titles of the Pope of Rome,* that is 
more magnificent than the sound of these words? 
How unlike is all this to the spirit of the Gospel, and 
the character and conduct of the lowly Saviour of 
mankind. Matt. xi. 28-30 ; xxiii. 1-1*2." How much 
calculated are such high sounding' titles to swell the 
pride of frail mortals ? Popes, and bishops, and par- 
sons, are made of like stuff with oilier men. 

And then, what shall we say to the secular and 
lukewarm condition of the generality of the clergy of 
the land ?— to the patronage of the' benefices before 
mentioned ? — to the common and abominable sale of 
livings? — to our simoniacal contracts? — our sinecures, 
pluralities, non-residences ?f— to our declaring we 

* Mr. Paine, speaking of the Reformation, says sensibly 
enough, — " A multiplicity of national popes grew out of the 
downfall of the Pope of Christendom." — And I add, Rome 
itself scarce ever had a more bloody, libidinous, and de- 
testable head of the church, than was Henry VIII., the self- 
created Pope of our own ecclesiastical constitution. Show 
me a worse man among all that abhorred race, or a more 
consummate tyrant over the consciences of men. 

t The curates of our church, in many cases, are as culpa- 
ble with respect to non-residence, as the bishops and rec- 
tors, and vicars. In my own neighbourhood, and mostly in 
my own parish, we have upwards of twelve chapels, where 
there is no resident clergymen. It is much the same iu 
other parts of the kingdom. The reader will find several 
of these defects of the church of England touched upon by 
Burnet, in the conclusion of the History of his Oiv?i Times. 

I add — My Lord S h has got a mistress, of whom he 

is grown weary. On condition the Rev. A. B. will marry 
her and make her an honest woman, he shall be rector of 
such a living in the gift of his lordship. The living of 
C — -h is in the gift of Mr. G— t; he has got a daughter; 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 207 



I are moved by the Holy Ghost to preach the Gospel, 
when we are moved by nothing more than a desire to 
obtain a good living," and perhaps even deny that 
there is any Holy Ghost?— to our reading one species 

if the Rev. Ch. P s will marry her, he shall be presented 

J to the church. Mr. G n has a son, who is neither fit 

for law, physic, or the army. He has such a living in his 
patronage. This rip of a son shall be trained to the church, 
and be the incumbent of the family rectory. My Lord 
I D n has got four sons; one shall enjoy the title and es- 
tate ; another shall go into the army, and be made a gene- 
j ral; another shall go to sea, and become an admiral; the 
) fourth shall be trained to the church, and be promoted to a 
I bishopric. Sir P — r P — r has in his gift a rectory of the 
value of 2000Z. a year. The Rev. G. W. agrees to give him 
5000Z. in hand, and 500L a year for ten years. In this 
manner are daily bartered the souls of men, like sheep in a 
market ! Is it probable that such a state of things should be 
maintained for many ages or years longer? Surely the 
legislature of the country ought to take these abuses into 
consideration, and endeavour to remove them. If there be 
I a God who judgeth in the earth, he cannot look upon such 
abominations with indifference. Abuses of a similar kind 
| have brought destruction upon other countries, and shall 
England alone be permitted thus to play the devil, and no 
notice be taken of us by the moral Governor of the world ? 
Such things are indefensible, and make one , blush for the 
church in which it is possible they should take place. The 
valuable preferments in our church are almost universally 
obained by money, or by interest, merit having little or 
nothing to do in the business. There are, however, several 
exceptions to this general rule, under the government of 
his present Majesty. But my indignation constrains me to 
add, that Maurice, the present worthy author of Indian 
Antiquities, &c. &c, oh ! shame to a venal age ! — is let to 
starve upon a distant and laborious curacy of 50L a year ! 
See his own account in the History of Hindostan, vol. i. 
p. 119, 120, quarto. 

" Ye bards of Britain, break the useless lyre, 

And rend, disdainful, your detested lays ; 
Who now shall dare to letter' d fame aspire, 
Devotes to penury his hapless days." 
See Maurice's fine elegiac poem on the death of Sir William 
Jones. 



208 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



of doctrines in the desk, and preaching directly op- 
posite in the pulpit ? 

Abundance of persons, moreover, object to several 
things in the thirty-nine Articles of Religion— to 
several things in the book of Homilies — and, above | 
all, to the imposition of subscription to any human 
creeds and explications of doctrines whatever.* No 
man, or set of men upon earth, as it seems to them, 
has a right to demand any such thing of a fellow 
Christian. 

Can any thing in the whole absurd system of Popery 
be more improper, than to make every young man, 
without exception, subscribe, when he becomes a 
member of either of our English universities, he be- 
lieves from his soul, ex animo, that every thing con- 
tained in the Articles, Homilies, Common Prayer, 
and offices of Ordination, is agreeable to the Word of 
God ? when in all ordinary cases he has never serious- 
ly and attentively read either one or other of them ? 1 
How is it likely that a boy, raw from school, should ; 
be competent to such a task? And if he is to sub- 
scribe upon the faith of others, on the same principle 

N " I 

* It may be further observed, that subscription to the 
thirty-nine Articles hath kept many a good man out of the 
church, but not many bad ones. " The requiring subscrip- 
tion to the the thirty-nine Articles," Bishop Burnet says, 
" is a great imposition." I remember an anecdote concern- 
ing the famous William Whiston and Lord Chancellor King, 
which is not foreign to our purpose. Whiston being one 
day in discourse with the chancellor, who was brought up a 
Dissenter at Exeter, but had conformed, a debate arose 
about signing articles, which men do not believe, for the 
sake of preferment. This the chancellor openly justified, 
'* because," said he, " we must not lose our usefulness for 
scruples." Whiston, who was quite of an opposite opinion, 
asked his lordship, if in his court they allowed such preva- 
rication 1 He answered, "We do not."— "Then," sajd 
Whiston, " suppose God Almighty should be as just in the 
nest world as my Lord Chancellor is in this, where are we 
then ?" 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS, 



209 



he may subscribe te the Mass-Book, the Koran, or 
any other book whatever. 

After a careful examination, I, for my own part, 
am constrained to object, pede et ma?iu, to several 
things in the 141st canon, and consider the require- 
ment, on oath, of canonical obedience to the bishop 
of the diocese where we officiates, as one of the most 
detestable instances of antichristian imposition that 
ever was exercised over a body of elergy.* And yet 
after we have gotten our education at a considerable 
expense, possibly at the expense of our whole fortune, 
we must take this abhorred oath, or renounce tha 
profession to which we have been trained, after our 
fortune with which we should have begun business is 
gone, and the proper time of life expired. These 
things ought not so to be. Let it be observed, how- 
ever, that this is not the fault of the bishops, but of 
the constitution. It is one of the existing laws of the 
establishment, and cannot be dispensed with as things 
now stand j and the bishops are as much bound to 
administer the oath, as we are to take it. 

Moreover, there are not a few persons, again, who 
object to some things in the Baptismal office— in the 
office of Confirmation, in the office for the Sick, in 
the Communion office, in the ordination office, in the 
Burial office, in the Common Prayer, in the Litany, 
in Athanasius's Creed, in the Calendar, in our Cathe- 

* The 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 27th, 
28th, 29th, 38th, 58th, 72d, 139th, 140th, and 141st canons, 
are most of them peculiarly objecti nable. Prior to expe- 
rience, it would appear highly incredible that conscientious 
and liberal-minded clergymen should be able to swear such 
kind of obedience. The good Lord pardon his servants, for 
we surely consider not what we do. Let any man seriously 
read, and soberly consider these several canons, and then 
judge of their tendency. Tliey contain the very worst part 
of popery — that is, a spirit of infallibility. They proceed, at 
least, upon the infallibility of our own church, while we 
disavow that infallibility, and condemn the pretension >n 
ike church of Rome. 
O 



210 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



riral worship, in our Spiritual courts, in the manage- 
ment of our Briefs,* in the Test and Corporation 

* Many persons have an objection to contribute any thing 
to briefs, because they suppose a principal part of the money 
collected goes into the hands of improper persons. The 
usual charges attending them, with the collections thereupon, 
will be best understood from the instance given in Burns* 
" Ecclesiastical Law." 

For the parish church of Ravenstondale, in the 
county of Westmoreland : — 



£. s. d. 

Lodging the certificate 0 7 6 

Fiat and signing 19 4 2 

Letters patent 21 18 2 

Printing and paper 16 0 0 

Teller and porter 0 5 0 

Stamps 13 12 6 

Copy of the brief 0 5 0 

Porterage to and from the stampers.... 0 5 0 

Mats for packing 0 4 0 

Carriage to the undertaker at Stafford. . Ill 0 

Postage of letters and certificate 0 4 8 

Clerk's fee 2 2 0 



Total of the patent charges 76 3 6 

Salary for 9986 briefs at 6d. each .249 13 0 

Additional Salary for London 5 0 0 



The whole charges £330 16 6 



Collection on 9986 briefs £614 12 9 

Charges 330 16 6 



Clear collection £283 16 3 



The expense of a brief for St. Mary's Church, in Colchester 
is stated in the " Gentleman's Magazine" for P'eb. 1798, at 
546?. 19s. lOd. Thus we see, that according to the more 
moderate of these cases, if ten briefs are issued in the course 
of a year, there would be collected upon them the sum of 
61467. 7s. 6d., of which 3308?. 5s. is expended in clearing 
2838?. 2s. 6d. for the ten charitable purposes. But if we 
take the more extended of these cases, the expense of col- 
lecting ten briefs would be 5169?. 18s, <id,, which it. within 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



211 



Acts,* in our Tithe Laws.f There are some, again, 
who earnestly deplore our total want of discipline, 

676Z. 95. 2d. of the whole money in the former case collect- 
ed ! There is a deduction of a similar kind from public 
money in St. Michael's Chapel in this town. Fifty pounds 
j a year are ordered by royal grant, to be paid out of the Ex- 
I chequer to the mayor of the corporation for the time being, 
i for the use of the minister, without fee or reward. Instead 
of fifty, however, he never receives more than three-and- 
j thirty. Seventeen pounds are deducted for fees of office. 
| So much for " without fee or reward !" Charitable donations 
' of every kind, should be reduced as little as possible by those 
I through whose hands they must naturally pass. An undue 
deduction is a sort of sacrilege, and must be accounted for 
as such before the Judge Supreme. The number of church 
and chapel wardens in England and Wales must be consi- 
derably above 20,000. Every one of these takes a solemn 
oath when he enters upon his office. And who will under- 
take to prove that nine in ten of the church-officers are not 
perjured ? Certain it is, that the oath is of such a nature, 
it is next to an impossibility to keep it inviolate. Very few 
of those gentlemen ever attempt to fulfil their engagements. 
They make no efforts to avoid the grievous sin of perjury. 

* " Hast thou by statute shoved from its design 

The Saviour's feast, his own blest bread and wine, 

And made the symbols of atoning grace 

An office-key, a picklock to a place, 

That Infidels may prove their title good 

By an oath dipp'd in sacramental blood? 

A blot that will be still a blot, in spite 

Of all that grave apologists may write; 

And though a bishop toil to cleanse the stain, 

He wipes and scours the silver cup in vain." 

Comper's Poems, vol. i. p. 122. 

See Dr. Sherlock, Dean of Chichester, in favour of the above 
two acts, and Hoadly, Bishop of Bangor, in answer to Sher- 
lock. This celebrated bishop used to say, " Our liturgical 
forms ought to be revised and amended, only for our own 
sakes, though there were no Dissenters in the land. 

+ See the article " Tithe," in Burns' " Ecclesiastical Law," 
whence it appears that tithes were not paid in England till 
the eighth century, and were then given to the clergy, by 
an act of tyrannical power and usurpation, by two of our 
o % 



212 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



and our incomplete toleration — that our church holds 
out other terms of communion than the Scripture 
hath enjoined — and that she is a mighty encourager 
of ambition among- the superior orders of the clergy, 
by the several ranks, degrees, honours, and emolu- 
ments, which prevail among us. They are firmly 
persuaded, that the people of every age and country 
have an unalienable right to choose their own mi- 
nisters ; and that no king, no ruler, no bishop, no 
lord, no gentleman, no man, or body of men upon 
earth, has any just claim whatever to dictate who 
shall administer to them in the concerns of their sal- 
vation : or to say — You shall think this, believe that, 
worship here, or abstain from worshipping there. 

For much more than a thousand years the Christian 
world was a stranger to religious liberty. Even 
toleration was unknown till about a century ago. 
The clergy, especially, have usually been unfriendly 
to religious liberty. And when the Act of Toleration 
was obtained in King William's time, great numbers 
of men were much against it. It appers to me, how- 
ever, that both the name and the thing are incon- 
sistent with the very nature of the Gospel of Christ. 
For, have I not as much right to control you in your 
religious concerns, as you have to control me? To 
talk of tolerating, implies an authority over me. 
Yet, who bat Christ has any such authority ? He is 
a tyrant, a very pope, who pretends to any such 
thing. These matters will be better understood by 
and by. The whole Christian world lay in darkness 
upon this subject, we hare observed, for many ages. 
Dr. Owen was the first I am acquainted with who 
wrote in favour of it, in the year 1648. Milton fol- 
lowed him, about the year 1658, in his " Treatise of 
the Civil Pawer in Ecclesiastical Causes." And the 
immortal Locke followed them both with his golden 
"Treatise on Toleration," in 1889. But notwith- 

Popish and superstitious kings ; and, in one of the instances, 
as a commutation ior murder. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



213 



standing these, and many other works which have 
since been written on the same subject, much still 
remains to be done in this country. Locke's book 
has not yet been generally read and understood. 
Though we have had the honour of being among the 
first of the nations which obtained a large jportion of 
civil and religious freedom, others are now taking 
the lead of us on the rights of conscience. And it 
does not appear to many, that we ever can be a tho- 
roughly united and happy people, till every good 
subject enjoys equal civil privileges, without any re- 
gard to religious sects arid opinions. If a man be a 
peaceable, industrious, moral, and religious person, 
and an obedient subject to the civil government under 
which he lives, lethis religious views of things be 
what they may, be seems to have a just claim to the 
enjoyment of every office, privilege, and emolument 
of that government. And till this is in fact the case, 
I apprehend there never can be a settled state of 
things. There will be an eternal enmity between the 
gorverning and the governed ; an everlasting strug- 
gle for superiority. But when every member of 
society enjoys equal privileges with his fellow mem- 
bers, the bone of contention is removed, and there is 
nothing for which they should any longer be at en- 
mity. Equal and impartial liberty, equal privileges 
and emoluments, are, or should be, the birthright of 
every member of civil society ; and would be the 
glory of any government to bestow upon all its seri- 
ous, religious, and moral-acting citizens, without any 
regard to the sect or party to which they belong. 
Talents and integrity alone should be the sine qua 
nons to recommend any man to the notice of people 
in power. This, it should seem, would make us a 
united and happy people. 

As we have been speaking on the subject of the 
patronage of livings, it may be worth while still fur- 
ther to observe, that the Bishop of enjoys very 

considerable privileges of this nature, which have, on 



214 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



a late occasion, been shamefully abused. Not less 
than one hundred and thirty presentations belong to 
him ! A certain episcopal gentleman of that diocese 
knowing the extensive emoluments he was likely to 
be possessed of in this way, brought his son up to the 
church ; and, when he came of proper ajre, bestowed 
first one living upon him, and then another, as they 
became vacant, to a very considerable amount, which 
this son enjoys at this day. He is now one of our 
dignified clergymen, and in possession of a very un- 
reasonable number of valuable preferments, to most 
of which he pays extremely little personal attention. 
He takes care, however, *to secure the fleece, the 
devil may take the flock. John x. 1-18. 

Another son of Aaron, in a neighbouring district, 
which might be named, possesses, preferments in the 
church, by the procurement of his episcopal father, 
to the amount of 20007. a year. He has for a long 
season been extremely attentive to his tithes; but 
hardly ever man paid less attention to the salvation 
of the souls of his people, and the sacred duties of 
his office. Seldom, indeed, does he appear among 
the former, less frequently still does he attend the 
proper duties of the latter. 507. or 607. a year he 
reluctantly pays a journeyman parson, to supply his 
own lack of service; but like master, like man; they 
are a miserable couple together ; the one is penuri- 
ous, the other dissolute. What must the condition 
of the flock be, under the care of two such wretched 
shepherds ? 

I will mention a third curious instance of clerical 
sagacity. A certain rectory, not fifty miles from 
this place, is said to be of the value of near 20007. a 
year. A kind young lady, whose friends have suffi- 
cient interest with the patron, falls in love with a 
wicked, swearing, dashing officer in the army, and 
marries him. That a comfortable maintenance may 
be secured for the happy pair, it is agreed, that the 
gentleman shall change the colour of his clothes. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



215 



j I apply himself to the attainment of a smattering of 
I i Latin and Greek, and admit himself a member of 
1 J one of our famous Universities. There he actually 
j now is, qualifying himself to take possession of the 
! bouncing benefice. The incumbent being dead, a 
I pliable parson is put in for a time as a locum tenens. 
And when the quondam officer has obtained his pro- 
per credentials, this worthy Levite must resign all 
his fat 'pigs in favour of this son of Mars. The 
white-washed officer will then come forward, and 
I declare in the face of God and man, with a lie in his 
j mouth, that " he trusts he is moved by the Holy 
Ghost to preach the gospel." 

If these were solitary instances of improper pro- 
! ceedings in church matters, it would not be worth 
I while to notice them in this manner. But, alas ! they 
are only specimens of what is by no means uncommon, 
I where valuable livings are concerned. O ! were the 
business of private patronage and presentation tho- 
roughly investigated, and laid before the public, the 
picture would be highly disgusting to every serious 
mind, and call for reformation with a sound not easy 
to be resisted. 

It is remarkable, that the ecclesiastical and civil 
parts of our constitution are, in some respects, in op- 
position one to the other, for the former, in the book 
of Homilies especially, holds forth the doctrine of 
passive obedience and non-resistance, while the latter 
is founded, by the compact at the devolution, on the 
reciprocal rights of king and people. In this respect, 
therefore, as well as in several others, a reformation 
is highly desirable. Every clergyman particularly 
should see and feel this, who is obliged to subscribe 
ex animo, that ail and every thing contained in the 
book of Common Prayer ? &c. is agreeable to the 
Sacred Writings. 

I add a second circumstance, which seems a hard- 
ship to the enlightened and conscientious part of the 
clergy. When we baptize children, we thank God 



216 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



" that it hath pleased hiui to regenerate them with 
the Holy Spirit, to receive them for his own children 
by adoption, and to incorporate them into his holy 
church." When the same children are presented to 
the bishop for confirmation, he also addresses the 
Divine Being as having " vouchsafed to regenerate 
them by water and the Holy Ghost, and as having 
given unto them the forgiveness of all their sins 
while many of them are as vile young rogues as ever 
existed. Then, when we come to bury them, we 
dare do no other than send them all "to heaven, 
though many of those we commit to the earth have been 
as wicked in life as men well can be on this side hell. 
This surely is a great hardship. Yet we have no 
remed}^. We must do it, or forfeit our roast beef and 
plumb pudding. 

But what I mean to infer from this view of the 
matter here, is, that if the doctrines of baptismal 
regeneration and final perseverance be true, every 
member of the church of England is as sure of hea- 
ven when he dies, as if he were already there. I 
leave those whom it may concern to draw the natural 
inference. How is it consistent with the 17th Arti- 
cle of Religion ? 

There is another circumstance in our public offices, 
which seems to affect the credit of our church, and 
the comfort of its ministers. The morning service 
formerly consisted of three parts, which were used 
at three different times in the forenoon. These are 
now thrown into one, and all used at the same time. 
Supposing each service, taken singly, to be ever so 
unexceptionable, the conjunction of them renders 
the whole full of repetition. By this absurd union, 
the Lord's prayer is always repeated five times every 
Sunday morning, and on sacrament days, if there 
happen to be a baptism and a churching, it is re- 
peated no less than eight times in the space of two 
hours. Use may reconcile us to any thing, how ab- 
surd soever it be — witness the popish ceremonies. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



217 



Now, let us suppose, that any of the sectaries in this 
country should, in their public devotions, be guilty 
of the same tautology, what should we think and say 
of them ? Should we not conclude they were mad ? 

By the same absurd conjunction of the three an- 
cient services into one, we are obliged, by the laws 
of our church, to pray for the king no less than five 
times every Lord's day morning; and even six on 
communion day. If I were a bishop, or a rich plu- 
ralist, or a fat rector, my eyes, for any thing I know, 
might be so far blinded with gold-dust, that I should 
not see these imperfections of our public service; 
but, as it is, I do see them, and feel them, and groan 
under them every Sabbath day of my life. They 
may love such things that will, I confess I do not. 

Some of the objections which are usually made to 
several parts of our ecclesiastical code of doctrines 
and laws, it will be granted by every candid person, 
are of no great consequence in themselves ; but, as 
they respectively constitute a part of the general 
system, and are connected with other things of a more 
serious and objectionable nature; and as we are 
compelled to swear obedience to all the canons,[*] 
and subscribe, ex animo, to all and every thing con- 
tained in the Common Prayer, &c. as being agreeable 
to the Holy Scriptures ; the least deviation from those 
Scriptures become great and weighty. And though 
there can be no solid objection to the doctrines and 

[*] This hardly appears to be the true construction of this 
celebrated oath, the words of which are—" I, A. B. do swear, 
that I will perform true and canonical obedience to the 
Bishop of C. and his successors, in all things lawful and 
honest the meaning of which may possibly be, that the 
juror shall obey the bishop in all thosepoints where thecanon 
law may require such obedience, so far as is consistent with 
the rules of the common law, and the dictates of common 
honesty. Were the oath of that latitude contended for by, 
our author, there would certainly not be a clergyman in the 
kingdom exempt from the sin of most deliberate perjury ; 
yet the terms of the oath are obscure.— Editor. 



218 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



ceremonies of the establishment, in general, yet, seeing 
there are some things which certainly are reprehen- 
sible, and those, too, of no very indifferent nature, 
the imposition of them in a manner so solemn is an 
extremely great hardship, andnottobe justified upon 
any principle of expediency whatever. There is not 
a bishop in England who does not continually trans- 
gress one or more of the one hundred and forty-one 
Canons ; and, I am persuaded also, there is not an 
episcopal character in the nation, who can lay his 
hand upon his heart, and appeal to heaven, that he 
believes all and every thing which he subscribes. 
Why then not strive to repeal what is faulty ? Why 
not ease the labouring consciences of those clergymen 
who are upright in the land? 

These, and some other matters, which might be 
brought for ward more at large, seem, to many very well 
informed and respectable persons, truly objectionable, 
and strong indications, that we are not so far removed 
from the old meretricious lady of Babylon, as we 
would willingly have the world to believe.* .Among 
the several Protestant establishments, we must, they 
fear, be, at least, considered as the eldest daughter of 
that first-born of wickedness. t 

That I am not singular in supposing there are seve- 
ral things wrong in the church establishment of this 
country, is evident from the words of Bishop Watson, 
in his reply to Mr. Gibbon :— " There 'are," says this 

* See the doctrines of the church of Rome pretty much at 
large in the 17th section of Simpson's " Key to the Prophe- 
cies." The cruelty of that church is horrible ! Joseph Mede 
reckons up 12,000,000 of the Vallenses and Albigenses put to 
death in thirty years ? The same intolerant and persecuting 
spirit prevailed in our church also for many years after the 
Reformation, and is noi yet perfectly done away. — See " The 
Prisoner's Defence against the Rev. George Markham ;" a 
well written pamphlet. Brother George cuts but a poor 
figure in the hands of these Quakers. 

+ "That Man of 'Sin"— "The Son of Perdition"— " That 
Wicked."— 2 Thess. ii. o, 8. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



219 



jj able advocate for regenerated Christianity, te many 
worthless doctrines, many superstitious observances, 
i which the fraud or folly of mankind have every where 
i annexed to Christianity, especially in the church of 
I Rome, as essential parts of it. If you take these 
ij sorry appendages to Christianity for Christianity 
|! itself, as preached by Christ and by his apostles, you 
jj quite mistake its nature."* 

Many of our bishops and clergy will complain in 
jj this manner in private, and some few in public, that 
I various things are wrong, and want mending; but 
there are exceedingly few who willspeak out, remon- 
strate, and use their influence, that things may be 
put upon a more defensible footing. We keep read- 
ing what we do not approve, the damnatory sentences 
in Athanasius's Creed for instance, professing what 
we do not believe, subscribing what we know or sus- 
pect to be wrong, and swearingtoobservelaws, which 
are truly horrible in their tendency, all our lives long, 
for the sake of a little paltry food and raiment, and a 
moiety of worldly honour. Is this the way to glory, 
and honour, and riches everlasting? If 'Wicklifie, 
and Luther, and Cranmer, and Ridley, and Latimer, 
and the glorious army of martyrs, had acted in the 
manner we do, no reformation would ever have taken 
place. We should have been Popish priests at this 
day. The same spirit which keeps us quiet in our 
several snug Protestant preferments now, would have 
kept us quiet, in our several snug Popish preferments 
then, if such had been our situation. It is much 
more easy to fawn, and cringe, and flatter, with Eras- 
mus, than face a frowning world, with Luther, and 
his noble companions. 

From the foregoing short view of these two classes 
of predictions concerning the Saviour of mankind, 
and the condition of the Christian church in the 
woi Id, every candid and sober-minded man, I think, 
may see, without the smallest room for deception, 
* " Apology for Christianity," Let. 6. 



220 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



that there is something far more than human in the 
prophetic Scriptures. It is impossible to account for 
all these strange coincidences, upon any principles of 
nature or art whatever. Here is along series of pre- 
dictions running through all time, partly fulfilled, 
partly fulfilling, and partly to be fulfilled. Let any 
man account for it, without supernatural interposi- 
tion, if he can. If he cannot, then the Scriptures are 
of divine origin ; Jesus is the Saviour of mankind ; 
all the great things foretold shall be accomplished ; 
infidels and infidelity shall be confounded world with- 
out end; and sound, practical believers in Christ 
Jesus, of every denomination, shall stand secure and 
joyful, amidst the convulsion of nations, the subver- 
sion of churches, " the wreck of matter, and the crush 
of worlds." 

" Such, in that day of terrors, shall be seen 

To face the thunders with a godlike mien. 

The planets drop ; their thoughts are fixed above : 

The centre shakes : their hearts disdain to move." 

Are not abundance of these predictions fulfilling at 
this very day before our eyes ? Is not the religion of 
Jesus diffusing itself far and wide among; the nations 
of the earth ? Did not the corruptions of it commence 
at a very early period ? Did not the church of Rome 
assume a universal spiritual empire in the seventh 
century, and temporal dominion in the eighth?* I3 

* It is remarkable, that Mahomet began his imposture in 
the very year that the bishop of Rome, by virtue of a grant 
from that wicked tyrant Phocas, first assumed the title of 
Universal Pastor : and thereon claimed to himself that su- 
premacy, which he hath been ever since endeavouring to 
usurp over the church of Christ. This was in the year 606, | 
when Mahomet retired to his cave to forge his impostures ; 
so that Antichrist seems at the same time to set both his 
feet upon Christendom together, the one in the east, and the 
other in the west. — Prideaux's " Life of Mahomet," p. 13. 
A valuable correspondent, thoroughly acquainted with the 
prophetic Scriptures, gives it as his opinion, that we are now 
in the second period of the seventh vial. Rev. xvi. 17-21. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



221 



it not" expressly predicted, that the illegitimate em- 
pire of that church should continue the precise period 
of one thousand two hundred and sixty years? Does 
it not seem that those one thousand two hundred and 
sixty years are upon the point of expiring? Were 
not great changes to take place among the kingdoms, 
into which the Roman empire was to be divided, 
about tlie expiration of the said term ? Have not 
great changes already taken place in those kingdoms? 
Were not the nations, which, for so many ages, had 
given their power unto the beast, to turn against 
the beast, and use means for its destruction?"* 
Is not this part of the prophecy also, in a good de- 
gree, fulfilled at the present moment? Have not 
all the Catholic powers forsaken his Holiness of Borne 
in the time of his greatest need ? And is not he, who 
a few years ago made all Europe tremble at the thun- 
der of his voice, now become weak like other men ? 
Are not the claws of the beast now cut, and his teeth 
drawn, so that he can neither scratch, or bite ?f Is 
he not already, in our own day, and before our own 
eyes, stripped of his temporal dominion? And doth 
not the triple crown, even now, dance upon his head? 
or, rather, has he not for ever lost all right and title 
to wear it? Is it not extremely remarkable, and a 
powerful confirmation of the the truth of Scripture 
prophecy, that just 1280 years ago from the year 
1798, in the very beginning of the year 5*38> Belisa- 

" The battle of the great God has been, and is fighting. The 
sacking of the nations is come. The man of nn, who has 
been sitting in the temple of God 1260 years, all but a few 
whom God hath been consuming with the spirit of his mouth 
since the Reformation ; whom he is now ready to destroy 
with the appearance of his presence, we see is ready for 
the blow." 

* Consult the 17th chapter of Revelations. 

t See the treatment which the late pope of Rome received 
from the French. They even took the ring from his finger, 
and deprived him of his snuff! Ungenerous Frenchmen ! 
Cruel conquerors ! 



222 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



rins, put an end to the empire of the Goths at Rome, 
leaving no power therein but the bishop of that 
metropolis? 

Read these things in the prophetic Scriptures ;* i 
compare them cooily with thepresent state of Europe, 
and then, I say again, deny the the truth of Divine I 
Revelation, if you can. Open your eyes, and behold 
these things accomplishing in the face of the whole 
world. " This is not done in a corner." 

It would be well, my countrymen, if ye would 
seriously consider still further, that the opposers of 
the Gospel are no other than tools and instruments in 
the hands of tha t Redeemer,! whom ye so cordially 
despise, and rashly reject. He sitteth in heaven, at 
the right hand of power, and laugheth at all your 
puny and malicious efforts to impede the interests of 
his kingdom 4 He permits his Word, however, " to 

* There is an astonishing chain of prophecy in the Sacred 
Writings ; and the argument from thence is invincible. Sir 1 
Isaac Newton, Bishop Newton, and several other writers, 
have treated upon them with effect. The prophetic scheme 
may be ridiculed, but it can never be answered. Consult P 
Simpson's "Key to the Prophecies," for a concise view of 
tins indissoluble Chain. Bishops Hurd, Halifax, Clayton, and | 
others, have written with ability upon these abstruse parts of 
Sacred "Writ. Dr. Apthorp, Mr. Maelaurin, and Brown, have 
thrown pretty much light upon them. But, of all who have 
treated upon the book of Revelation, none seems to me to I 
have excelled Lowman. ' 

+ See this matter discussed at large in Dr. Gerard's dis- 
sertation, entitled, " Christianity Confirmed by the Opposi- 
tion of Infidels." 

i Would the reader be at the pains to compare the second 
and one hundred and tenth psalms with the history of those I 
persons who, in the several ages, have set themselves to 
oppose either the Jewish or Christian dispensations, he could 
not fail of receiving strong conviction of the truth of these 
two prophetical compositions We may, indeed, deny any 
thing, and turn into ridicule every prophetical accomplish- 
ment, as Josephus informs us the Jews did in the last dread- 
ful ruin of his unhappy countrymen. It was familiar with 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



223 



be tried as silver is tried." But the more it is opposed, 
the more completely will it be refined. The more it 
is scrutinized, the* more it will be approved. The 
severity of your criticisms will serve the cause it is 
intended to overthrow. Your assistance is advan- 
tageous to us, though infinitely dangerons to your- 
selves. Ye are co-operating, unintentionally, indeed, 
with the zealous servants of Christ, in carrying for- 
ward the designs of heaven, in like manner as Judas, 
with the Jews and Romans, contributed to the fulfil- 
ment of the ancient prophecies, and the salvation of 
the world, in betraying the Lord of Glory. The 
greater the learning, the more rancorous the hatred , 
the stronger the opposition, the more brilliant the 
talents of its antagonists ; the faster will the kingdom 
of Messiah come forward, and the more complete and 
honourable will be the victory.* The Gospel never 
triumphed more gloriously, in the first ages, than 
when Celsus and Porphyry drew their pens, Diocle- 
sian and Julan their swords, vowing its annihilation. 
- Truth fears nothing more than inattention. It is too 

them "to make a jest of divine things, and to deride, as so 
many senseless tales, and juggling impostures, the sacred 
oracles of their prophets ; though they were then fulfilling 
before their eyes, and even upon themselves." If the reader 
is disposed to examine another prophecy, I will refer him to 
the ninth chapter of Daniel. The late eminent philosopher 
and mathematician, Ferguson, has written a di sertaticn upon 
it, which he concludes in these words : — " Thus we have an 
astronomical demonstration of the truth of this ancient 
prophecy, seeing that the prophetic year of the Messiah's 
being cut off was the very same with the astronomical." — 
" Astronomy, p. 373—377. 

* " Christianity may thank its opponents for much light, 
from time to time, thrown in on the sublime excellence of 
its nature, and the manifestation of its truth. Opponents, 
in some sort, are more welcome than its friends, as they do 
it signal service without running it in debt; and have no 
demand on our gratitude for the favours they confer. The 
stronger its adversaries, the greater its triumph ; the mere 
it is di?puted,the more indisputably will it shine."— Young. 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



important to be treated with indifference. Opposi- 
tion calls forth, and sharpens the powers of the hu- 
man mind in its defence. The cause of the Gospel 
hath ever gained by investigation. Credulity is the i 
bane of it. Sound policy in the Deists would let it 1 
alone, and leave it to itself. It was by opposition s 
from all the world that it was originally propogated, 
When that opposition ceased, and the great ones of j 
the earth smiled upon and fostered it, worse than 
Egyptian darkness of ignorance and delusion over- 
spread Christendom.* It is by a revival of that op- 

tln the middle ages, such thick clouds of barbarity and 
ignorance had overwhelmed all schools of literature, that 
the maxim then current was — Quanto eris melior gram- 
maticus, tanto pejor theologies. Espenceeus, who was one 
of themselves, acknowledges, that amongst their best au- 
thors, Gracece nosse susceptum fnerit, Heoraice proprie 
heereticum. Zuinglius and Collin us had like to have lost 
their lives for meddling with Greek and Hebrew. To give I 
the derivation of the word Hallelujah racked the wits of 
whole universities. Doctors of Divinity were created, and 
pronounced most sufficient, who had never read the Bible. 
Erasmus says, divines of eighty years of age were all amaze- ! 
ment at hearing any thing quoted from St. Paul, and that ' 
preachers of fifty years standing had never seen the New ' 
Testament. Musculus assures us, that multitudes of them 
never saw the Scriptures in their lives. Amama tell us of 1 
the Archbishop of Mantz, that opening the Bible, he said, 
"In truth, I do not know what this book is, but I perceive ' 
that every thing in it is against us." Cardinal Hosius's 
persuasion was, that " it had been best for the church, if 
no Gospel had been written." The clergy of the church of \ 
Rome, all through Europe, in the last and present ages, ; 
though much superior to those in the middle centuries, are 
still in a situation truly deplorable. They have h d, indeed, 
some very considerable individuals, especially among the I 
Jesuits ; but taking them as a body, there has been a most 1 
melancholy deficiency of literary attainment. The French 
clergy seem to have excited those of most other countries, 
which profess the Romish faith Bishop Burnet's travels will 
afford the reader considerable information upon the state of 
popery in the close of the seventeenth century, i,nd Dr 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 2@§ 

position, and probably, too, by a revival of the perse- 
cution of its most zealous advocates, even unto death, 
that it must be purified, refined, and restored to its 
primitive beauty and simplicity. Philosophical un- 
believers, as well as intolerant Christians, will proceed 
per fas atque nefas to carry a favourite point. Hu- 
man nature is the same in all. however modified, 
and whatever our pretensions. The pure Gospel of 
Christ, too, never had more determined and well-fur- 
nished enemies in these latter ages, than Louis the 
Fourteenth,* Bolingbroke, and Voltaire ; nevermore 

John Moor's " View of Society and Manners in Italy," will 
furnish us with a tolerable knowledge of its present state. 
If it had not been for the Reformation, most of the riches 
of Christendom would at this dey have been in the hands 
of the clergy. The revenues of the present archbishop of 
Mexico are said to be 70,0007. a year ! The bishopric of 
Durham is said to be near 20,QCOZ. a year. Winchester also 
is very considerable, and some others are the same. 

* It is calculated that the Roman Catholics, since the rise 
of persecution, in the seventh or eighth century, io the pre- 
sent time, have butchered, in their blind and diabolical zeal 
for the church, no less than fifty millions of Protestant 
Christians of different descriptions. " Cursed be their anger 
for it was fierce, and their wrath for it was cruel." A 
righteous Providence is now taking vengeance on them for 
their horrible transactions ! It is about three hundred years 
since the Spaniards first discovered America and the West 
Indies. The Governor of the world has a quarrel with them 
also for their dreadful cruelties towards the poor unoffend- 
ing inhabitants. Twelve millions, it is calculated, they 
butchered on the continent, besides the many millions who 
fell in the islands. Arise, O God, and plead the cause of 
these thy creatures ! And is England less guilty, with re- 
spect to her trade in human beings ?[*] In ages to come. 

[*] England will have great reason to exult in the accom- 
plishment of that long-wished-for event, namely, the total 
abolition of this most abominable traffic. Those faithful 
men, who industriously and perseveringly promoted if, 
should be hailed amongst the greatest benefactors of meii. 
kind, and posterity shall eternally bless their memory. The 
P 



226 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



true and powerful friends. The sword of the first, the 
philosophy of the second, and the ridicule of the third, 

it will scarcely meet with credit, that we, who boast ourselves 
of being the most free nation upon earth, the most religious i 
people in Europe, and the purest and best constituted 
church in the world, should have been capable of buying 
and selling annually, upon an average, sixty thousand souls. 
If there were no other cause, this is enough to bring down 
the severest of the Divine judgments ! No political motives 
whatever can justify the diabolical traffic. And is it not 
strange, that when the abolition of this trade had passed 
the 558 members of the House of Commons, it should not 
be able to pass the House of Lords, where are assembled 
twenty-six shepherds and bishops of souls 1 Blessings on the 
heads of those few worthy prelates, who pleaded the cause 
of humanity, and stood forth as the advocates of universal 
freedom! We have long enjoyed a large share both of 
civil and religious liberty. We have made our boast of 
this privilege, sometimes very insolently, insulting other 
nations because they did not enjoy the same. And yet we , 
have the impudence, the inhumanity, the cruelty, the hor- , 
rible villany, to enslave sixty thousand poor helpless souls 
every year ! O England ! 

" Canst thou, and honoured with a Christian name, 

Buy what is woman-born, and feel no shame'/ 

Trade in the blood of innocence, and plead 

Expedience as a warrant for the deed ? 

So may the wolf whom famine has made bold 

To quit the forest and invade the fold; 

So may the ruffian, who, with ghostly glide, 

Dagger in hand, steals close to your bed-side ; 

Not he, but his emergency forced the door, 

He found it inconvenient to be poor." 

Cojvper's Poems. 
Without being carried away by the violence of any party j 
whatever on this great question, I think it is clear, upon 
every Christian principle, and on every principle of sound j 

greatest statesmen of ancient or modern times, the most 
celebrated heroes, the most enlightened literati, historians, 
poets, and philosophers, environed with all the splendour of 1 
their various works and achievements, shall be eclipsed and 
almost vanish when put in competition with these illustri- 
ous patriots and philanthropists. — Editor. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 227 



have already had considerable effect. The French 
themselves at this moment, though ready to overturn 

policy, that the importation of fresh slaves into the islands 
should be absolutely prohibited; and that every proper 
means should be used to ameliorate the condition of those 
who are already imported. Much wisdom and experience 
would be necessary to enable any man to determine what 
means would be most proper for these purposes. It is to 
be feared we have also a long and dreadful account to 
settle with Divine Providence for our rapacious conduct in 
the East Indies. This wonderful country has at the same 
time enriched and ruined every nation whb h hath possessed 
it. So the Spaniards, by a just re-action of a righteous 
Providence, have been enriched and ruined by the possession 
of Mexico and Peru, Every man who goes to the East 
Indies, with mercantile views, goes to make his fortune. 
This is frequently done, and too often in ways the most 
dishonourable. In the year 1769, three millions of the 
natives of Bengal perished for want through the avarice 
and rascality of a few Englishmen I 

" Hast thou, though suckled at fair Freedom's breast, 

Exported slavery to the conquered East — 

Pull'd down the tyrants India serv'd with dread, 

And rais'd thyself a greater in their stead, 

Gone thither arm'd and hungry, return'd full, 

Fed from the richest veins of the Mogul, 

A despot big with power obtained by wealth, 

And that obtained by rapine and by stealth ! 

With Asiatic vices stored thy mind, 

But left their virtues and thine own behind : 

And having truck'd thy soul, brought home the fee, 

To tempt the poor to sell himself to thee !" 

Comper's Poems, 

For numerous re-actions of Providence, consult the 29th 
and 30th sections of Simpson's " Key to the Prophecies." 
By way of softening our resentment against the traders in 
human creatures, it may be here observed, that the most 
polished of the ancient nations were overrun with slaves 
of the most oppressed kind. Every person acquainted with 
profane history knows well the miserable condition of the 
Helots, in Sparta. Even in Athens, where slaves were 
treated with less inhumanity, they found their conditibrr so" 
intolerable, that twentv thousand of them deserted during 
p 2 



22S 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



heaven and earth to banish the Saviour out of the 
world he created by hlspower, redeemed by his blood, 
and governs by his wisdom, are but tools in his hand, 
to bring forward his designs; to purge the Gospel of 
its contracted impurities ; to manifestto mankind the 
truth of the prophetic Scriptures; to punish the 
kingdoms for their abominations ; to roase them from 
their long sleep of guilty security; to remove all the 
rubbish of superstition and human ordinances out of 
the way ; and to bring in the reign of universal righte- 
ousness, when "contending nations shall learn war 
no more." Much is to be done, and they are suita- 
ble instruments, admirably adapted to answer these 
purposes of Divine Providence. They are made with 
this view. A virtuous nation would not be fitforthe 

one of the wars in which they were engaged. About the 
year 310 before Christ, the small state of Attica alone con- , 
tained four hundred thousand slaves. Slavery greatly 
abounded in the Roman empire also. Among them, slaves 
were frequently mutilated in their youth, and abandoned 
in their old age. Some, whom age or infirmities had ren- 
dered unfit for labour, were conveyed to a small uninhabited | 
island in the Tyber, where they were* left to perish with I 
famine. In short, all sort of punishments, which the wick- 
edness, wantonness, cruelty, or caprice of their owners 
could inflict, were frequently made use of. The Roman 
writers are full of horrid tales to this purport. Such has 
been the general practice of mankind in every age preceding 
the introduction of the gospel ! And it is the introduction 
and profession of that gospel which renders the dealing in 
slaves so enormously wicked ! A Christian buying and i 
selling slaves ! A man who professes, that the leading law 
of his life is, " to do as he would be done by," spending his 
time, and amassing a fortune, in buying and selling his 
fellow men ! — 

■ " Is there not some chosen curse, 

Some hidden thunder in the stores of heaven, 
Red with uncommon wrath, to blast the man 
Who gains his fortune from the blood of souls ?"[*] 

[*"] Since the above was written, this nefarious and abo- 
minable traffic has been abolished, under the laudable and 
benevolent influence of Messrs. Clarkson and "Wilberforee. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



229 



I business. In the mean time, there is great reason to 
apprehend, there will be no small degree of human 
| misery throughout the several countries professing 
! Christianity, before these halcyon days corne forward. 
; It is a melancholy circumstance, that before the 
j late French war broke out, there were fought, in little 
more than a century, a hundred bloody battles by 
land, besides what were fought by sea, between the 
I several Christian governments of Europe. This state 
I of things is awful. It is the pouring out of the vials 
' of God's wrath upon the churches. The time, how- 
ever, is fast approaching, when these miseries shall 
have an end. The beast shall be destroyed, and his 
dominion taken away. The several kingdoms which 
have supported him shall be overturned. False, su- 
perstitious, and idolatrous doctrines, rites, and cere- 
monies, shall all be swept off, and the pure, simple, 
unadulterated Gospel of Jesus shall spring up. The 
late bloody war was of God. The French were God's 
rod, to scourge the nations of Europe for their un- 
christian abominations. They were God's besom, and 
intended to sweep the Christian church of its filth, 
and nonsense, and superstition, and idolatry. It is 
true, they have no such intention. They mean no 
good to the Gospel. But when the Lord has accom- 
plished his whole work upon the corrupt Christian 
nations and churches, then he will lay them aside, 
cause the indignation to cease, and pure, undefiled 
religion shall spring up. This can never be, till the 
rubbish is removed. The superstitions of popery must 
first be done away. One generation, or perhaps, two 
or three, must first be swept off, and, in the course of 
a few centuries, those, who shall then live, will see 
more peaceable, more happy, and more glorious days. 
J3ut it will be long 'ere the nonsensical superstitious 
doctrines and practices of Antichrist can be roooted 
out of the several popish countries. And itis exceed- 
ingly probable, that Infidelity must first become 
almost general among the several orders of the people, 



230 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



before pure, genuine, purged Christianity can prevail. 
We Protestants who live in England, and have never 
been abroad, can have no proper idea of the poor, low, 
silly, superstitious state, in which the minds of the ( 
common people are kept, by the mummery and art of 
the priests, in all the Catholic countries. [* J In Na- 
ples, which contains only about three hundred thou- 
sand inhabitants, there are three hundred churches, 
one hundred and twenty convents of men, and forty 
of women. The mother-church is dedicated to St. 
Januaries, and when any calamitous events arise, this 
St. Januaries is applied to, his image is carried about 
in procession, and thousands of prayers are offered up 
to this supposed patron for deliverance. t Processions 
of a similar kind are extremely common in Rome, 
and all over Italy, and, indeed, all through the Ca- 
tholic world. At Madrid, the capital of Spain, the 
Virgin Mary, it seems, is the most favourite protec- 
tress. Abundance of ceremonies are here continually 
carrying on in honour of the mother of oar Lord. In 
all Madrid not a single street or house is to be found, 
which is not decorated with a portrait or bust of the 
Virgin. Incredible is the annual consumption of 
flowers made use of in Spain for crowning the Virgin's 
image; incredible the number of hands which are con- 
tinually employed from morning till night in dressing 
her caps ? turning her petticoats, and embroidering her 
ruffles. Every Spaniard regards the Virgin iu the 
light of his friend, his confidante, his mistress, whose 
whole attention is directed to himself, and wiio is 

[*] The late treacherous occupation of Portugal by the 
modern Carthaginians, however lamentable in its immediate 
consequences, will, as in other cases, ultimately benefit 
mankind ; as their work appears to be the destruction of 
papal tyranny, or, as they call it, " the melting down su- 
perstition." Spain will probably share a similar fate very 
speedily. What will become of unhappy Ireland ? — Editor. 

\ See a droll account of this pretended saint in Moor's 
" View of Society and Manners in Italy," vol. ii. p. 274-291- 



AND THE SACRED WHITINGS. 231 



jl perpetually watching over his happiness. Hence the 
ij name of Mary hangs incessantly upon his lips, mixes 
j in all his compliments, and forms a part of all his 
wishes. In speaking, in writing, his appeal is always 
;! to the Virgin, who is guarantee of all his promises, 
j the witness of all his transactions. It is in the name 
of the holy blessed Virgin that the ladies intrigue 
with their gallants, write billet-doux, send their por- 
I traits, and appoint nocturnal assignations. 

The funeral pomp and parade which characterize 
I the Spaniards at the burial of their dead, is inexpres- 
sibly great. Upwards of a hundred carriages, five or 
six hundred priests and monks, with, at least, two 
hundred flambeaux, form the ordinary appendage to 
a common funeral.* 

These things are deplorable, and show the very low, 
degraded, and superstitious state of that nation. 

The use of the Inquisition, however, in that pope- 
priest-ridden country, is still more shocking than all 
their other superstitions put together. 

What a curse have the priests of Christendom been 
to Christendom ! How many precious souls have 
been led into the pit of destruction by an ungodly, 
superstitious, and idolatrous priesthood ! I was 
almost going to say, that we parsons have been the 
means of damning more souls than ever we were a 
means of saving ! From our profession it is, that 
iniquity diffuses itself through every land ! God for- 
give us ! we have been too bad ! instead of being a 
Blessing, and spreading health and salvation through 
the nations, as is the method and design of the Gos- 
pel of Christ, and the Christian ministry, we have 
been playing into each others hands, have erected a 
huge fabric of worldly dominion for ourselves,[f] and 
have brought down, and are at this moment bringing 

* Vide Monthly Magazine for February, 1798. 

ft] It is painful to contemplate that the bishops should be 
discovering an active disposition to increase the extent of 
their worldly dominion.— Editor. 



23:2 



A PLEA FOR TtELIGION 



down, thedivine judgmentsuponevery country where 
we have erected our standard. We Protestants will 
be ready enough to allow, that this has been the case 
in the Catholic states ; but it is also true, if I mistake 
not, of the Protestant bishops and clergy. We will 
not sacrifice one inch of the secular dominion we have, 
through the weakness and folly of men obtained $ no, 
not to save the kingdom from destruction! The 
secular and superstitious conduct of the Heathen 
priesthood brought ruin upon the Pagan nations ; the 
secular and superstitious conduct of the Jewish priests 
brought ruin upon the Jewish nation ; the secular 
and superstitious conduct of the Catholic priests 
hath brought ruin upon the Catholic nations ; and 
the same kind of secular and superstitious conduct of 
our Protestant bishops and clergy will involve us in 
similar destruction. Nothing can prevent this but 
the ecclesiastical reform so often mentioned and al- 
luded to in these papers ! What reason is there to be 
given, why a wicked, careless, lukewarm, and secular 
Protestant priesthood should not be punished as well 
as those of other denominations? As our light and 
privileges are the greater, we may justly expect cur 
punishment will be the more severe. If there be a 
God in heaven, who regards the actions of men, and 
who respects the completion of his own predictions, 
Yve may be assured the day of darkness is coming, 
unless prevented by a change in our conduct. See 
Jeremiah xviii. 1-10. 

Surely at the present dread period, we, of all people, 
ought to take the alarm, and use every endeavour to 
remove whatever may subject us to divine judgments. 
My daily prayer is, for the safety, welfare, and pros- 
perity of my king and country. But when I look 
around me, I cannot help being exceedingly affected 
at the present melancholy state of most of the neigh- 
bouring nations. The sun. moon, and stars, are all 
darkened, and the powers of heaven are shaken. Is 
not the sun set and perished in Prance and Poland ? 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



233 



Are not Holland, Flanders, Switzerland, Geneva, Ge- 
noa, Sardinia, Savoy, Treves, Cologne, Venice, Rome, 
the Italian dominions of the house of Austria, and the 
little sea-girt empire of the Knights of Malta, are not 
all these revolutionized and fallen? Do not the 
kings of Prussia, Naples, Spain and Portugal, and 
even the emperor himself at this moment tremble on 
their thrones ? And doth not the same power, which 
hath accomplished, is accomplishing, and will accom- 
plish similar changes in the continental states, de- 
nounce the most complete destruction to the British 
empire? What then can save us from the threatened 
calamity? Nothing under heaven, but a national 
reformation, by which we may engage the divi2]e pro- 
tection. Hitherto the Lord hath wonderfully helped 
us, and I pray God effectually to help us in time to 
come ; but this we have no solid reason to expect, for 
any great number of years, unless the rubbish of hu- 
man ordinances shall be removed out of Christ's king- 
dom, the church, and a very general moral and reli- 
gious change take place among us. Oh ! that I could 
sound an alarm into the heart of our excellent king, 
and into the hearts of our princes, nobles, bishops, 
clergy, gentry, tradesmen, and into the hearts, also, 
of all the inferior orders of society ! It is reform, or 
ruin ! The 1260 prophetical years are expiring ! ; Re- 
duce the Redeemer's religion to its primitive purity 
and simplicity, or hewillcome in judgment, and plead 
his own rights.* Let any man, any bishop, any 
clergyman, say, and prove that these things are not 

* The propagators of infidelity in France, before the Re- 
volution, raised among themselves and spent no less a sum 
annually than 90G,000Z. sterling, in purchasing printing, and 
dispersing books to corrupt the minds of the people, and 
prepare them for desperate measures. And similar means 
are at this moment carrying forward in this country, in no 
small degree, to accomplish the same purposes. While we 
parsons are asleep, crying peace and safety, the enemy i§ 
sowing his tares ! 



234 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



so, and I will openly retract all that is here advanced. 
The Popish constitution is overturned in Rome; and 
1260 years from this time the Roman pontiff began 
his secular dominion in that proud and idolatrous 
metropolis of the Christian world, through the expul- 
sion of the Goths by Belisarius, the Roman general.* 
" All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the 
flower of grass. The grass with ere th, and the flower 
thereof falleth away ; but the word of the Lord en- 
dureth for ever !" 

And shall we be so blind and selfish as to suppose, 
that all the rest of the nations shall fall, and we alone 
be preserved ? Amen ! Amen ! May my king and 
country live for ever! 

We readily grant, therefore, you see, my country- 
men, that the corruptions of Christianity shall be 
purged and done away ; and we are persuaded the 
wickedness of Christians, so called, the lukewarmness 
of professors, and the reiterated attacks of Infidels 
upon the Gospel, shall all, under the guidance of in- 
finite wisdom, contribute to accomplish this end. 
The lofty looks of lordly prelates shall be brought 
low ; the supercilious airs of downy doctors and per- 
jured pluralists shall be humbled ; the horrible sacri- 
lege of non-residents, who ?hear the fleece, and leave 
the flock thus despoiled to the charge of uninterested 
hirelings that care not for them, shall be avenged on 
their impious eads. Intemperate priests, avaricious 
clerks, and buckish parsons, those curses of Christ- 
endom, shall be confounded. AW secular hierarchies 
in the church shall be tumbled into ruin; lukewarm 
formalists, of every denomination, shall call to the 
rocks and mountains to hide them from the wrath of 
the Lamb. Infidels, seeing the prophecies accom- 
plished before their eyes, shall submit themselves to 

* I mention the Goths and Belisarius again in this place, 
because I 'wish to draw the reader's attention to this re- 
markable accomplishment of Scripture prophecy. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



235 



the long resisted but gentle yoke of the gospel. 
Wicked and openly profane men, men of rank especi- 
ally, those corrupters and debauchers of the lower 
orders of society, shall be converted and become 
righteous, or swept from the earth " with the besom 
of destruction." The invidious disdain of illiberal 
sectarists shall be succeeded by equal and universal 
benevolence ; and the " Lord Jesus Christ alone shall 
be exalted in that day." 

In a note to the above passage the author says, — It 
maybe very much questioned whether the united wis- 
dom of men be equal to such an effectual reformation in 
church and state as may be thought perfectly consist- 
ent with the purity and simplicity] of thej Gospel. 
In civil matters, it may be, there is no government 
devised by human wisdom, better calculated to pro- 
mote the liberty, prosperity, and happiness of a coun- 
try than our own, by king, lords, and commons, 
supposing all abuses displaced. Nor do I see any 
valid objection to the three orders in the church, of 
bishops, priests, and deacons. 1 1 is certain they have 
prevailed from the days of the apostles, in some form 
or other. But here we have abundance of things to 
be removed, which are inconsistent with the Scrip- 
ture model. And if our governers, ecclesiastical and 
civil, are determined to hold fast what they have 
gotten, and suffer no abuses to be rectified, the great 
Head of the church, it may be fully expected, will 
arise, ere long, and plead his own cause in slaughter 
and blood. It is morally impossible that the present 
degenerate state of things should continue another 
century. Without a thorough reformation, both in 
civil and religious concerns (and even such a reforrt- 
ation is big with danger), a much shorter time must 
subvert the present order of things, not only through 
Europe in general, but in England particularly. God 
grant that we may have wisdom to do that of our own 
accord, which must otherwise be done by constraint. 
When " the iniquity of the Amorites is full," their 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



enemies will receive commission from above to enter 
their land, and to kill and destroy. 

The charges and denunciations against the several 
culprits menticned in the above page may seem too 
severe to some gentle-spirited persons, whocan "call 
evil good, and good evil but, in my opinion, they 
fall greatly below the propriety of the case. The 
offending clergy are the curse and bane of the coun- 
try, and the wrath of God shall smoke against the 
faithless shepherds of Christ's flock. Men of rank 
likewise are sometimes uncommonly biameable. I 
myself have known some, who have corrupted and 
debauched the whole neighbourhood where they lived. 

The late L— d S- h was a pest in this way. The 

late S — r W m M h also did much mischief 

among the young men and women all around the 
place where he resided for several miles. H o young 
person, of more decent appearance than ordinary, 
could well escape his allurements. Boys and girls 
were equally his prey. TVe have many now living, 
also, who are extremely culpable ; and when the 
scourge of heaven visits the land, it shall fall peculi- 
arly heavy upon such characters. 

In continuation the author justly remarks : — The 
Bible, my countrymen, the Bible, stripped of e\ery 
human appendage, shall rise superior to all opposition, 
and shall 2:0 down with the revolving ages of time, 
enlightening the faith, enlivening the hope, enkindling 
the love, inflaming the zeal, and directing the conduct 
of men, till tl e world shall be no more. 

" The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces, 
The solemn temples, the great globe itself, 
Yea, all which it inherits, shall dissolve, 
And, like the baseless fabric of a vision, 
Leave not a wreck behind." 

But the promises and threatening^ of the Holy 
Writings shall be receiving their awful completion, 
upon believers and unbelievers, throughout those 
never-ending ages, which shall commence when the 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



237 



present scene of things shall be fully terminated. 
Let my countrymen, therefore, 

" Read, and revere the Sacred Page, a Page 
Where triumphs immortality; a Page 
Which not the conflagration shall destroy; 
In nature's ruins not one letter lost." 

In the mean time, be persuaded also to reflect upon 
our respective situations. Suppose that we who be- 
lieve in the Saviour of mankind are mistaken ? — Upon 
your own principles we are safe. But suppose you 
are mistaken ? Your loss is immense. For " what is 
a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and 
lose his own soul? or, what shall a man give in ex- 
change for his soul V You know who it is" that hath 
said, too — "He that believeth on the Son hath ever- 
lasting life ; and he that believeth not on the Son shall 
not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him" — 
"he is condemned already !" — " Whosoever shall fall 
on this stone shall be broken ; but on whomsoever it 
shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Is there no 
danger to be apprehended from these and similar de- 
clarations with which the Sacred Writings solargely 
abound? We are persuaded there is danger, and such 
as is of the most serious kind which can befal a ra- 
tional creature. 

" Know'st thou the importance of a soul immortal ? 

Behold the midnight glory ; worlds on worlds ! 

Amazing pomp ! redouble this amaze ; 

Ten thousand add ; add twice ten thousand more ; 

Then weigh the whole ; one soul outweighs them all ; 

And calls the astonishing magnificence 

Of unintelligent creation — poor." 

Treating, with just contempt, therefore, the scoffs 
and sneers, for solid arguments we know they have 
none, of the whole unbelieving body of our country- 
men, whether among the nobility and gentry of the 
land, or among the ignoble vulgar, the beasts of the 
people ; our determination is, whatever we gain or 
lose beside, by the grace of God, to secure the salva- 



238 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



tion of this immortal part. No harm can happen to 
us in so doing. We are secureiu every event of things. 
If the four sore scourges of the Almighty, the sword, 
famine, noisome beasts, and pestilence, should receive 
their commission to run through tne land, we are yet 
assured that it shall be well with them that fear God. 
Sound religion, rational piety, solid virtue, and a lively 
sense of the divine favour, will injure no man. They 
will render us respected, at least by the wise and 
good, while we live, and be a comfortable evidence of 
our felicity when we die.* In the mean time, if it be 
enquired where present happiness is to be found?-— 
may we not say with confidence, 

" No doubt 'tis in the human breast, 

When clam'rous conscience lies at rest, 
Appeas'd by love divine : 

Where peace has fix'd her snow-white throne, 

And faith and holy hope are known, 
And grateful praise erects her shrine." 

After all, suppose there should be no future exist- 
ence—what do we lose ? But, if there should be a 

future state " and that there is, all nature cries 

aloud through all her works," — then what will become 
of the philosophic infidel, the immoral Christian, and 
the mere nominal professor? " If the righteous 
scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the 
sinner appear?" 

" What can preserve my life ! or what destroy ! 

An angel's arm can't snatch me from the grave ; 

Legions of angels can't confine me there." 

* When that fine writer and pious author, Mr. William 
Law, came to die, he seemed to enjoy the full assurance of 
faith: — "Away with these filthy garments," said the ex- 
piring saint, " I feel a sacred fire kindled in my soul, which 
will destroy every thing contrary to itself, and burn as a 
flame of divine love to all eternity." This learned man, in 
the latter part of his life, degenerated into all the fooleries 
of mysticism ; and there is some reason to suppose, his ex- 
travagant notions might be one means of driving the cele- 
brated Gibbon into a state of infidelity. 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



239 



Reflect then, my countrymen, upon your situation. 
Be the Scriptures' true or false— be Jesus Christ a 
vile impostor, or the only Saviour of the world— yet 
we are undeniably reasonable creatures, and under 
the moral government of God. This is no mere no- 
tion, that may be true or false, but a plain matter of 
fact, which every man may be sensible of by looking 
into his own bosom. Natural religion, therefore, at 
least, must be binding upon us. And that also re- 
quires, on pain of the highest penalties, that we should 
deny ungodliness, all impiety, and profaneness, and 
worldly lusts, all irregular secular pleasures and pur- 
suits, and live soberly, chastely, temperately, right- 
eously, doing strict justice in all our dealings between 
man and man, and showing mercy to every child of 
distress to the utmost of our power; and godlily, 
religiously, piously worshipping the Divine Being 
constantly and conscientiously in public and in pri- 
vate, and zealously endeavouring to please him in 
every part of our conduct. Deism, as well as Christi- 
anity, requires all this. We gain nothing then, but 
lose a great deal, by rejecting the merciful dispensa- 
tion of the Gospel, and having recourse to the religion 
of nature. 

What a picture does Voltaire draw of the condition 
of man? and, indeed, though it is very melancholy, 
it is very just upon his own principles, that the way 
of salvation revealed in the Gospel has no foundation 
in truth. 

" Who can without horror," says this sophistical 
philosopher, " consider the whole earth as the empire 
of destruction? It abounds in wonders, it abounds 
also in victims, it is a vast field of carnage and con- 
tagion. Every species is without pity, pursued and 
torn to pieces, through the earth, and air, and water. 
In man there is more wretchedness than in all other 
animals put together. He smarts continually under 
two scourges, which other animals never feel — anxi- 
ety and listlessness in appertence, which makes him 



240 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

weary of himself. He loves life, and yet he knows 
that he must die. If he enjoy some transient good, ; 
for which he is thankful to heaven, he suffers various 
evils, and is at last devoured by worms. This know- ( 
ledge is his fatal prerogative, other animals have it ! 
not; he feels it every moment, rankling and corroding 
in his breast ; yet he spends the transient moment of 
his existence in diffusing the misery that he suffers ; 
in cutting the throats of his fellow creatures for pay ; 
in cheating and being cheated ; in robbing, and being 
robbed; in serving, that he may command; and in 
repenting all that he does. The bulk of mankind are 
nothing more than a crowd of wretches, equally 
criminal and unfortunate; and the globe contains 
rather carcases than men. I tremble, upon a review 
of this dreadful picture, to find that it implies a com- 
plaint against Providence, and J wish that I had 
never been born /" 

Let any man consider well this declaration ; after- 
wards take a view of the lastthree months, and dying 
scene of Voltaire, and then let him say what this 
old sinner ever gained by his boasted infidelity and 
philosophy. 

Natural religion, equally with revealed, condemns ' 
all immoral men, under the penalty of incurring the 
utmost displeasure of cur Maker. 

" But then you have the satisfaction to think there 
is no devil ; by rejecting the Bible you have at least 
got clear of this bug-bear, with which we frightened 
children and old women!" 

If we should ask how you know there is no such 
fallen spirit? you can give no rational answer. Are 
you acquainted with all the secrets of the invisible 
world ? Your ipse dixit will go no further than ours. 
We say there is such a Being, and we appeal to all 
history, especially to the writings of the Old and New 
Testaments, the evidence of which is such as no man 
ever did, or even can fairly answer. The Son of God, 
the Messenger from the invisible state, hath taught 



AND THE SACRED WHITINGS. 



241 



us this doctrine ;* and we are firmly persuaded, it is 
acting a more rational part to give credit to his in- 
formation concerning the invisible world, than to trust 
to the vague, uncertain, and contradictory lights of a 
vain philosophy. What have you to reply ? — " There 
I is no such Being in nature." — And so your affirmation 
or negation is to be the standard of truth? — A little 
more modesty might become you well: certainly it 
would make you the more amiable men, and not less 
comfortable in your own mind. 

But suppose there be no devil, what do you gain? — 
Still man is a rational creature, and you are under 
the moral as well as the natural government of the 
Divine Being. And if you have been dexterous 
enough to get clear of one enemy, you have two yet 
left — the world and your own nature — your lusts and 
passions within you, and the allurements of visible 
objects without you. Can you deny the existence of 
these ? And are you perfectly sure that you shall be 
able to wage a successful warfare with two such po- 
tent adversaries? 

You see, then, my countrymen, that when you have 
hooted the Bible out of the world, proved the Virgin 
Mary to be a bad woman, Jesus Christ to be an ille- 
gitimate child, and annihilated the Devil — wonderful 
feats ! worthy of all praise ! — you must not stop here. 
There is no safety for you, till you have also annihi- 
lated the Maker and Governer of the world. Atheism 
must be your dernier resort. t For if there be a God, 

* The Bible is full of the doctrine of fallen angels. See 
especially Matt. x. 1 ; ibid. xxv. 41 ; Mark v. 8, 9 ; John 
viii. 44; 2 Cor. xi. 14, 15; James ii. 19; 2 Peter ii. 4 ; 
1 John iii. 8; Jucle, verse 6. 

t Antiphanes, a very ancient poet, who lived near a hun- 
dred years before Socrates, hath strongly expressed his ex- 
pectation of future existence. " Be not grieved," says he, 
" above measure for thy deceased friends; they are not 
dead, but have only finished that journey which it is neces- 
sary for every one of us to take. We ourselves must go to 
that great place of reception in which they are all asseffi» 
Q 



242 



A P TiEA FOIt RELIGION 



every immoral man will be. ere Ions', a miserable man. 
You must, therefore, to be consistent, and obtain 
composure in your irreligious courses, plunge head- 
long into the gulph of Atheism.* But then, what 

bled, and, in this general rendezvous of mankind, live toge- 
ther in another state of being." — Spectator, No. 289. 

* Books proper to be consulted against Atheism m?.x be 
these that follow -.—Nieun-entit's Religions Philosopher ; 
Adams's Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philo- 
sophy ; Clarke's Bisccnirse concerning the Being and 
Attributes of God ; Baxter's Matho ; Necher's Import- 
ance of Religious Opinions; Bishop Cumberland on the 
L"7us of Nature ; Bent lev's Boyle's Lectures ; Ray's 
Wisdom of God in the Works of Creation ; Wollaston's 
Religion of Suture; Wesley's Survey of the Wisdom of 
God in the Creation ; Berham's Physico and Astro- 
Theology ; Cud/vorth's True Intellectual System ; Bishoji 
Wilkins on Natural Religion; Sturm's Reflections on 
the Worhsef God ; Spectacle de la Nature, by Le ■Plvche ; 
and Fenelou's Demonstration of ihe Existetice, Wisdom, 
and Omnipotence of God, d-rairn from the knowledge of 
Nature, particularly of Man, and fitted to the meanest 
capacity. — This is a fine little work, and worthy of its 
great author. To these may be added, also, Snammerdam's 
Book of Nature ; Bonnet's Philosophical Researches ; 
and Pierre's Studies of Nature, abound with much inge- 
nious matter in proof of the Divine Exi-tence.[*] I tran- 
scribe the names of such a variety of authors, both here and 
on former pages, not out of any vain and foolish ostenta- 
tion, but to inform the less experienced reader to .what 
books he may have recourse, if he find it necessary, for the 
peace and satisfaction of his own mind. But there is no 
proof of the existence of God, and the truth of Christianity, 
so consolatory as the experimental and heart-felt knowledge 
of God, and of his son Jesus Christ. Indeed, ail other 
proofs, without this, are to little purpose, and this is inde- 
pendent of every other argument ; for though it cannot 

[*] Great as are the evils that Paley has brought upon us, 
f|y teaching the clergy the art of prevarication, the Christian 
world is certainly much indebted to him for his able treatises 
rn the Evidences of Christianity, and Natural Theology, 
which cannot be too warmly recommended.— EriTOE. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



243 



will you do with reason and conscience, those trouble- 
some inmates of the human bosom ? Can you bring 
yourselves calmly to believe, that this beautiful frame 
of nature, which displays so much in;elligence, wis- 
dom, power, goodness, justice, art, design, is the work 
I of chance? That admirable piece of mechanism your 
! own body, the meanest insect that crawls upon the 
I ground, nay, the very watch in your pocket, will 
j confute the supposition. You must, therefore, you 
. see, come back to and embrace the religion of Jesus 
I with us believers. You cannot find rest, upon the 
principles of sound reason, in any other system. For 
though the Gospel is attended with various and great 
| difficulties, as every view of both the natural and moral 
world unquestionably is, yet it is attended with the 
fewest difficulties, and none but such as are honestly 
superable, and is, at the same time the most com- 
fortable and happy institution thatwas ever proposed, 
to the consideration and acceptance of reasonable 
creatures. Nothing was ever so pure, so benevolent, 
so divine, so perfective of human nature, so adapted 
to the wants and circumstances of mankind. To live 
under the full power of it, is to have the proper en- 
joyment of life.* To believe and obey it, is to be 
entitled to a " crown that fadeth not away." 

with propriety be adduced for the conviction of unbelievers, 
it is calculated to yield more satisfaction to our own bo- 
soms than the most laboured arguments that reach the un- 
derstanding only. Poor people, whose minds have taken a 
religious turn, usually rest their salvation upon this experi- 
mental conviction alone. 

* " There is not a single precept in the gospel, without 
excepting that which ordains the forgiveness of injuries, or 
that which commands every one ' to possess his vessel in 
sanctification and honour,' which is not calculated to pro- 
mote our happiness.'* Sir Isaac Newton has given us a 
demonstration of the existence and intelligence of the 
Divine Being, in the close of his Principia, which the 
-atheistical reader would do well to consider at his leisure. 
And to the above books against Atheism should be added a 
Q 2 



244 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

Upon the supposition that the person, whom we call 
the Saviour of the world, had no commission from 
heaven to make the will of God known to mankind, 
would it not be one of the greatest miracles, that he ; 
and his twelve followers, poor, unlettered, and obscure 
men, should have brought to light a system of doc- 1 
trines the most sublime, and of morals the most per- 
fect ? That Jesus and the fishermen of Galilee should 
have far surpassed Socrates, Plato, Cicero, and all 
the greatest men of the most enlightended period of 
the world ? That every thing they advanced should 
perfectly agree both with the natural, civil, and reli- 
gious history of mankind? That their discourses 
should still be capable of improving and delighting 
the most learned and profound geniuses of these 
latter ages?*; That all modern discoveries should 
bear witness to the truth of the facts recorded in the 
most venerable of ail volumes ? And that every book 1 
in the world, sacred or profane, Christian, Jewish, 
Pagan, or Mahometan, instead of lessening, should 
establish the credit and authority of the Bible as a 
revelation from heaven ! 

Mr. Whiston, in his " Astronomical Principles of 1 
Religion," gives us a short view of the reasons which | 
induced him to believe the Jewish and Christian 
revelations to be true. These reasons are the 1 
following : — 

1 . " The revealed religion of the Jews and Christi- 
ans lays the law of nature for its foundation, and all 
along supports and assists natural religion, as every 
true revelation ought to do. 

very excellent and satisfactory discourse by Archbishop j 
Tillotson. on the "Wisdom of being Religious." 

* Newton accounted the Scriptures the most sublime 
philosophy, and never mentioned the word — God — but with 
a pause. See Bishop Watson's Tn'O Sermons and Charge, 
p. 9, where this is asserted. The same thing is recorded of 
the Honourable Robert Boyle, by Bishop Burnet, How dif- 
ferent the conduct of our minute philosophers! 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 245 



2. " Astronomy, and the rest of our certain mathe- 
matical sciences, do confirm the accounts of Scripture 
so far as they are concerned. 

3. " The most ancient and best historical accounts 
' now known, do, generally speaking, confirm the ac- 
I counts of Scripture, so far as they are concerned. 

4. "The more learning has increased, the more 
certain, in general, do the Scripture accounts appear, 

I and its difficult places are more cleared thereby. 
I 5. "There are, or have been generally, standing 
! memorials preserved of the certain truths of the 
principal historical facts, which were constant evi- 
dences of the certainty of them. 

(>. " Neither the Mosaical law, nor the Christian 
religion, could possibly have been received and estab- 
lished without such miracles as the sacred history 
contains. 

7. " Although the Jews all along hated and perse- 
cuted the prophets of God, yet were they forced to 
believe they were true prophets, and their writings 
of divine inspiration. 

8. " The ancient and present state of the Jewish 
nation are strong arguments for the truth of their law, 
and of the Scripture prophecies relating to them. 

9. " The ancient and present state of the Christian 
church are also strong arguments for the truth of the 
Gospel, and of the Scripture prophecies relating 
thereto. 

10. " The miracles, whereon the Jewish and Chris- 
tian religions are founded, were of old owned to be 
true by their very enemies. 

11. " The sacred writers, who lived in times and 
places so remote from one another, do yet all carry 
on one and the same grand design, namely, that of 
the salvation of mankind by the worship of and obe- 
dience to the one true God, in and through the king 
Messiah ; which, without a divine conduct, could 
never have been done. 

12. u The piyncipal doctrines of the Jewish and 



246 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

Christian religion are agreeable to the most ancient 
traditions of all other nations. 

13. " The difficulties relating to this religion are 
not such as affect the truth of the facts, bat the con- 
duet of Providence : the reasons of which the sacred 
writers never pretend fully to know, or to reveal to 
mankind. 

" Natural religion, which is yet so certain in 
itself, is not without such difficultiesas to the conduct 
of Providence as are objected to revelation. 

1 " The. Sacred History has the greatest marks 
of truth, honesty, and impartiality, of all other his- 
tories whatsoever ; and withal has'uone of the known 
marks of knavery and imposture. 

10. "The predictions of Scripture have been still 
fulfilled in the several ages of the world whereto they 
belong. 

17. u ]\ T o opposite system of the universe, or schemes 
of divine revelation, have any tolerable pretences to 
be true but those of the Jews and Christians. 

<k These are the plain and obvious arguments which 
persuade me of the truth of the Jewish and Christian I 
revelations, which I earnestly recommend to the ' 
further consideration of the inquisitive reader." 

The object of our Saviour's religion is new, the 
doctrines new, his personal character new, and the 
religion itself superior to all that was known among 
men. These are considerations which ought to have 
much Weight with every man who calls himself a 
philosopher, and Wishes to be determined in hisjudg- I 
ment only by the reason and nature of things. 

% The four Evangelists," of whom such contemptu- 
ous things have been spoken by Mr. Paine and others, 
"have done, without appearing to have intended it, : 
what was never performed by any authors before or 
since. They have drawn a perfect human character, 
without a single flaw ! They have giveu the history 
of one, whose spirit, words and actions, were in every 
particular what they ought to ha ve been ; who always 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



247 



did the very thing which was proper, and in the best 
manner imaginable ; who never once deviated from 
the most consummate wisdom, purity, benevolence, 
compassion, meekness, humility, fortitude, patience, 
piety, zeal, and every other excellency ; and who in 
no instance let one virtue or holy disposition entrench 
on another, but exercised them all in entire harmony 
and exact proportion ! The more the histories of the 
Evangelists are examined, the clearer will this ap- 
pear, and the more evidently will it be perceived, 
that they all coincide in the view they give of their 
Lord's character. This subject challenges investiga- 
tion, and sets infidelity at defiance! Either these 
four men exceeded in genius and capacity all the 
writers that ever lived, or they wrote under the 
special guidance of divine inspiration; for without 
labour or affectation they have effected what have 
baffled all others, who have set themselves purposely 
to accomplish it. 

"Industry, ingenuity, and malice, have, for ages, 
been employed in endeavouring to prove the Evange- 
lists inconsistent with .each other, but not a single 
contradiction has been proved upon them." 

This quotation is taken from the Rev. T. Scott's 
"■Answer to Paine's Age of Reason." The whole forms 
a satisfactory antidote against the poison of that 
virulent Deist's publication, and may be had at the 
very moderate price of one shilling. 

With this may be compared the line account that 
Rousseau has given us of the Gospel, Avhich is the 
more remarkable, as it is from the pen of an enemy. 

" I will confess toyou," says he, " that the majesty 
of the Scriptures strikes me with admiration, as the 
purity of the Gospel hath its influence on my heart. 
Peruse the works of our philosophers, with all their 
pomp of diction: how mean, how contemptible are 
they, compared with the Scriptures! Is it possible 
that book, at once so simple and sublime, should be 
merely the work of man? Is it possible the sacred 



248 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

personage, whose history it contains, should be him- > 
self a mere man ? Do we find that he assumed the j 
tone of an enthusiast, or ambitious sectary ? What 
sweetness, what purity in his manner! What an 
affecting gracefulness in his delivery! What subli- 
mity in his maxims ! What profound wisdom in his 
discourses! What presence of mind, what subtilty, 
what truth in his replies ! How great the command 
over his passions ! Where is the man, where the 
philosopher, who could so live, and so die, without 
weakness, and without ostentation? When Plato 
described his imaginary good man, loaded with all 
the shame of guilt, yet meriting the highest rewards 
of virtue, he describes exactly the character of Jesus 
Christ : the resemblance was so striking, that all the 
Fathers perceived it. 

" What prepossession, what blindness must it be, to 
compare the Son of Sophronicus to the Son of Mary ? 
What an infinite disproportion there is between them ! 
Socrates, dying without pain or ignominy, easily 
supported his character to the last : and if his death, 
however easy, had not crowned his life, itmighthave 
been doubted whether Socrates, with all his wisdom, 
was any thing more than a vain sophist. He invent- 
ed, it is said, the the theory of morals. Others, how- 
ever, had before put them in practice ; he had only 
to say, therefore, what they had done, and to reduce 
their' exam pies to precepts. Aristides had been just 
before Socrates defining justice ; Leonidas had given 
up his life for his country before Socrates declared 
patriotism to be a duty : the Spartans were a sober 
people before SocratesVecommended sobriety ; before 
he had even defined virtue, Greece abounded in vir- 
tuous men. But where did Jesus learn, among his 
competitors, that pure and sublime morality, of which 
lie only hath given us both precept and example? 
The greatest wisdom was made known among the 
most bigotted fanaticism, and the simplicity ot the 
most heroic virtues did honour to the vilest people 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



249 



upon earth. The death of Socrates, peaceably philo- 
sophizingwith his friends, appears the most agreeable 
that could be wished for ; that of Jesus expiring in 
the midst of agonizing pains, abused, insulted, and 
accused by a whole nation, is the most horrible that 
could be feared. Socrates, in receiving the cup of 
poison, blessed indeed the weeping executioner who 
administeredit; but Jesus, in the midst of excruciat- 
ing tortures, prayed for his merciless tormentors. 
Yes, if the life and death of Socrates were those of a 
sage, the life and death of Jesus are those of a God. 
Shall we suppose the evangelic history a mere fiction ? 
Indeed, my friend, it bears not the maiks of fiction ; 
on ihe contrary, the history of Socrates, which no- 
body presumes to doubt, is not so well attested as 
that of Jesus Christ. Such a supposition, in fact, only 
shifts the difficulty, without obviating it ; it is more 
inconceivable that a number of persons should write 
such a history, than that only one should furnish the 
subject of it. The Jewish authors were incapable of 
the diction, and strangers to the morality contained 
in the Gospel, the marks of whose truth are so strik- 
ing and inimitable, that the inventor would be a more 
astonishing character than a hero."' 
u But is it possible any reasonable man* should be 

* It is truly remarkable, and highly satisfactory to the 
serious Christian, that all our modern discoveries are so far 
from proving unfavourable to the truth of the Sacred 
Writings, that they strongly tend to the illustration and 
confirmation of them. All voyages and travels, into the 
East especially, are particularly useful in this point of view. 
Bruce's Travels throw light upon many biblical circum- 
stances. Maurice's Indian Antiquities, and History of Hin- 
dostan, are singularly valuable. Harmer's Observations on 
divers passages of Scripture, is a work superior to every 
thing of the kind, as it contains a selection from a variety 
of voyages and travels, of such circumstances as have a 
tendency to illustrate the meaning of a large number of 
obscure passages in the Sacred Writings. [A new edition of 
thi9 work is published with numerous additions, by Dr. 
Adam Clarke.] 



250 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



so weak as to suppose the book, called the Bible, can 
be the Word of God?" 

No intelligent Christian will distinguish it by that 
name, without a large restriction of its contents. 
All we assert respecting it, is, that it is a collection 
of writings, containing a history of the divine dis- 
pensations to our world, and that the proper Word* 
of God, with numberless other particulars, is inter- 
woven all the way through these most ancient and 
invaluable writings. 

" Is it to be conceived by any man, who hath the 
least pretension to common sense, that the several 
simple relations recorded in the books of Moses, 
J oshua, Judges, and those which follow, can be found- 
ed in truth V 

Most of our misapprehensions of this kind arise 
from not duly considering the infant state of the 
world, the progressive state of civil society, and the 
different manners of the several ages and countries of 
the earth. The customs of the eastern nations, where 
the Bible was originally written, were then, and 
indeed are at this day, extremely different from our 
own, almost as much so as between the manners of 
the inhabitants of the South Sea islands and those of 
this country. And while we are wondering at the 
simplicity of their customs, they are entertaining 
themselves with the novelty of ours.f 

* See this matter set in a very proper light in the fourth 
Letter of Bishop Watson's Apology for tlie Bible. 

t This objection is well answered in the first Letter of 
Bishop Watson's Apology. The eharact r of Moses and 
his writings is very amply and satisfactorily vindicated from 
ail the usual objections of Infidels in the first of Bishop 
Newton's Dissertations on some parts of the Old Testament. 
Little more either need or can be added to what this 
learned man hath advanced. If the reader is disposed, he 
may add Gray's Key to the Old Tcs'ament. After reading 
such authors, it is scarcely possible to avoid entertainmg an 
opinion extremely contemptible of Thomas Paine. Mr. 
Hervcy's Remarks on Lord Bolin'jbrolie'a Letters on the 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 251 

" But then what occasion was there for a Mediator ? 

.] Is not God the wise and good parent of all his crea- 
tures ? — And cannot he pardon our offences, and make 

I us happy in a future state, without the interposition 

;, of any other being whatever?" 

What God can do, what he hath done, and what he 

ii will do, are very different considerations. If it were 

j| equally consistent with his wisdom, and goodness to 
save mankind without a Mediator, we may be assured 
it would have been done. But as the Divine Being 
hath thought proper to institute the mediatorial 
scheme, we may be assured there are the best reasons 
for the appointment, though we may be incapable of 

' discovering, and even comprehending, what all these 
reasons are. Indeed, even in this state, few of the 
blessings of Providence are conveyed tons, except by 
the intervention of mediators. The whole plan of the 

I world is carried forward by the assistance of others. 
How many mediators must there be before we can be 
supplied with our daily bread ?"* 

" If a revelation must be made to mankind, why 
was it delivered in the historic form? Why was it 
not rather given in some set and regular composition, 
worthy of its author ?" 

The reason of this must be resolved into divine wis- 
dom. He, that best knew the nature of man, chose 
this method in preference to every other ; and there 
is no reason to question but that the variety of com- 
positions, of which the Bible is formed, is much better 
adapted to the circumstances of the great bulk of 

Study and Use of History," contain many pious and satis- 
factory observations on the History of the Old Testament, 
especially on the writings of Moses. 

* See Soame Jenyng's View of the Internal Evidence 
of the Christian Religion, and Butler's Analogy, passim, 
where the doctrine of the mediatorship of Messiah 13 con- 
sidered at large, with unanswerable evidence. 



252 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

mankind, than any set and regular discourse In the 

didactic form.* 

" The books of Moses are thought by many to have 
been written some ages after his time."f 

The authenticity of these books is unquestionable, 
and has been simply vindicated by men every way I 
furnished for the mquiry.t 

" Though some parts* of the books of Moses are 
written with great beauty and simplicity, yet many 
of his laws are trifling," and unworthy of a great 
legislator." 

This objection arises from a want of due attention 
to the state of those people for whom those laws were 
enacted. When the circumstances of the Jews are 
properly considered, the Mosaic institutions will ap- 

* Let the reader consult Mr. Wakefield's Evidence of 
Christianity, where he will find a number of remarks well 
adapted to display the excellence, recommend the purity, 
illustrate the character, and evince the authenticity of the ' 
Christian religion. See, too, CobboliVs Essay on the His- 
toric form of Scripture. 

1 Le Clerc was of this opinion in his younger days; hut 
after more reading, and better informed judgment, he 
changed his mind, and wrote in defence of their genuineness 
and authenticity. " The first, and truly original historians," 
says another learned man, " are those of the Hebrew Scrip- 
tures. The sacred writers, to the unequalled dignity of 
their subject, unite a majestic simplicity and perspicuity of 
style and narration. Moses, the most ancient, is the most 
perfect of historians. His style is copious, even, and clear. 
Like a deep river, he bears his reader with a calm and ma- 
jestic course. It was his purpose to give a body of laws, as 
well as a thread of history ; and by interweaving them 
together, he has authenticated both ; for it is impossible to 
forge the civil and religious policy of a great nation." The 
ingenious reader will find much entertainment and instruc- 
tion, and various difficulties obviated, in Bryant's Observa- 
tions on the Plagues of Egypt. 

jSee Prideaux's Connexion, b. 6 ; Kidder's Commentary 
on the Booh of Moses ; Witsii Miscellanea Sacra ; March's 
Discourse on the Authenticity of tJiese Boote ; and Du 
Pin's Biblwtheca. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 253 

pear to be adapted with the most consummate pro- 

j priety to those circumstances.* It is extremely hard 
that the Bible should be made accountable for our 

I ignorance. 

" The character and conduct of David, who is called 
* a man after God's own heart/ can never be defended 

!| by any person who has the least regard to truth and 

I moral excellency V 

It is not the business of these papers to enter into 

| a minute defence of all those parts of the Bible which 
may seem objectionable. The character of David, 
however, stands high in our estimation, except in the 
case of Uriah ; and as it has been virulently attacked 
by some considerable men, so it has been no less ably 
defended. And to such defence we beg leave to refer 
those readers who find themselves concerned. t 

* Consult Lowman's Dissertation on the Civil Govern- 
! went of the Hebrews, and Dr. Randolph's Excellency of 
the Jewish Law Vindicated. See, too Forbes's Thoughts 
on Religion. 

tDelaney's Historical Account of the Life and Reign of 
David is valuable. Bishop Porteus's Sermon on the Cha- 
racter of David abounds with just remarks. But Chand- 
ler's Critical History of the Life of David enters at large 
into the subject, and is particularly satisfactory. Another 
learned man says: — "If we consider David in the great 
variety of his fine qualifications, the ornaments of his per- 
son, and the far more illustrious endowments of his mind ; 
the surprising revolutions in his fortune ; sometimes reduced 
to the lowest ebb of adversity, sometimes riding upon the 
highest tide of prosperity ; his singular dexterity in extri- 
cating himself from difficulties, and peculiar felicity in ac- 
commodating himself to all circumstances ; the prizes he 
won as a youthful champion, and the victories he gained as 
an experienced general ; his masterly hand upon the harp, 
and his inimitable talent for poetry; the admirable regula- 
j tion of his royal government, and the incomparable useful- 
ness of his public writings ; the depth of his repentance, 
and the height of his devotion; the vigour of his faith in 
, the divine promises, and the ardour of his love to the Divhm 
j Majesty. If we consider these, with several other marks of 



254 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



"The characters and manners of the ancient pro- 
phets were uncouth, and unworthy of the God who is 
said to have sent them." 

In genera], they were moral and religious men, and | 
their manners w r ere in perfect conformity to the 
times in which they lived, and the people among I 
whom they conversed. Besides, it is not essential to j 
the character of a prophet of the true God, that he 
should be a good man. Balaam is an instance to the 
contrary. God, indeed, inthecourseof his providence, 
frequently uses bad men as instruments to accomplish 
his own purposes. 

" But there are many actions ascribed to the 
servants of God in the Old Testament, which very «• 
much wound the feelings of every good man. Noah 
was guilty of intoxication ; Abraham of dissimulation; 
Jacob of lying ; Aaron of idolatry ; Jaei of treachery \ 
and murder; David of adultery and murder; Solomon \ 
of idolatry and lewdness; and many others of crimes ' 
of several kinds." 

The relation of all these instances of wickedness in 
the servants of God, is a proof of the disinterested- j 
ness and impartiality of the sacred historians : and ! 
these crimes are recorded, not for our imitation, but 
for our admonition. If we attend to the consequences j 
of these several transgressions, we shall see no good 
reason to imitate them. It is not any where record- 
ed, that these faulty parts of their conduct met with 
the approbation of heaven. 

" How may the horrible destruction of the nations , 
of Canaan be reconciled with the principles of mercy 
and goodness?" 

Just as pestilence, famine, storms, tempests, and i 
earthquakes, may be reconciled with those lovely 
perfections. The Moral Governor of the world is at 

honour and grace, which ennoble the history of his life, we 
shall see such an assemblage of shining qualities as perhaps j 
were never united in any other merely human character.'' 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



liberty to destroy offending nations and individuals 
in any manner lie judges meet.* We see this to be 
the constant course of Divine Providence. 

I " But you should like to have been eye-witnesses 
of the mighty works wrought by Moses t and Jesus 

] Christ. 7 ' 

!i 

lj * See this vindicated in Bryant's Treatise on the Scrip- 
tures ; in the first Letter of Watson's Ajjology ; and in 

j almost evei-y other author who has treated upon subjects of 
this nature. 

+ The writings of Moses have received much confirmation 
I and elucidation from the labours of the late Sir William 
Jones, and the present Mr. Maurice. All the leading cir- 
cumstances of the Mosaic history are found detailed, with 
various degrees of corruption and perversion, among the 
writings of the East Indies. The following account of Noah 
and his three sons, from Mr. Maurice's Sanscreet Frag- 
j ments, is very remarkable, and strongly corroborative of 
the Mosaic history : 

1. "To Satyavarman, that sovereign of the whole earth, 
- ; were born three sons— the eldest Sherma, then Charma, and, 

thirdly, Jyapeti by name. 

2. " They were all men of good morals, excellent in vir- 
tue and virtuous deeds, skilled in the use of weapons to 
strike with, or to be thrown ; brave men, eager for victory 
in battle. 

3. " But Satyavarman, being continually delighted with 
devout meditation, and seeing his sons fit for dominion, laid 
upon them the burden of government. 

4' "Whilst he remained honouring and satisfying the 
gods and priests, and kine, one day, by the act of destiny, 
the king having drank mead, 

5. " Became senseless, and lay asleep naked. Then was 
he seen by Charma, and by him were his two brothers called : 

6. "To whom he said, What has now befallen? In what 
state is this our sire? By those two was he hidden with 
clothes, and called to his senses again and again. 

7. " Havinjr recovered his intel ect and perfectly knowing 
what had passed, he cursed Charma, saying, Thou shalt be 
servant of servants ; . 

.8. "And, since thou wast a laughter in their presence, 
from -laughter shalt thou acquire a name. Then he gave to 



256 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



So should .we. Has not every man, in every age, j 
and in every country under heaven, the same right 
to expect this indulgence ? Miracles must, therefore, 
be wrought at all times, in all places, and befo ^ 
every individual of mankind. And what would 
the consequence ? Miracles would cease to be mi, 
cles, and the whole coarse of nature would be thrown 
into confusion and disorder. So unreasonable are 
the demands of wayward men ! 

"Many parts of the Old Testament are extremely 
dull, uninteresting and even unintelligible." 

Considering the ages in which it was written; the 
different manners which prevailed ; the frequency of 
allusions to ancient customs and circumstances no ! 
longer known ; considering, too, that we generally 
read it in one of the most literal of all translations $ j 
and that many hundreds of places are really inaccu- 
rately translated ; it is truly wonderful that it should 1 ; 
be so intelligible as it is, and appear to so much ad- i 
vantage. Most of our objections to those admirable 
writings are founded in our own ignorance.* Before 
we set up to be critics upon the Bible, let us make I 
ourselves thorough masters of the three languages I 

• .? i 

Sherma the wide domain on the south of the snowy moun- j 
tains. 

9. "And to Jyapeti he gave all on the north of the snowy 
mountains ; but he, by the power of religious contemplation, 
attained supreme bliss."— Asiatic Researches, vol. iii. p. 
467, and Mr. Maurice's Sanscreet Fragments, p. 44. 

* It is no inconsiderable proof of the truth of some of the 
historical books of the Old Testament, that the ten tribes of 
Israel, which were carried captive by Shalmaneser, king of ; 
Assyria, upwards of 5500 years ago, and which had been j 
supposed to be lost and swallowed up among the nations 
through which they were scattered, are now found to exist 
as a distinct people, in the eastern parts of the world, under 
the name of Afghans. Their traditions are little more than 
a mutilated and perverted history of the ancient Jews. See 
the second volume of the Asiatic Researches for a fuller 
account of these people. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 257 

|| in which it is written, and of the customs which 
prevailed in those countries, and in those ages 
I when it was written. An avowed Infidel, with 
! ^ s se qualifications, I believe, is not this day to be 
rid in England. No person of a serious cast of 
fi$jbd, of pure morals, and a competent share of 
il learning, can be an infidel. Show us the man of 
j this description, who professedly rejects the divine 
mission of Jesus Christ, and we shall think the cause 
| df infidelity less desperate, 

: " Butare there not many contradictions, absurdities, 
and falsehoods, in the books of the New Testament, 
such as no man can reconcile?" 

We deny that there is either contradiction, absur- 
dity, or falsehood, in this inestimable Volume.* 
There are we grant, certain apparent blemishes of 

* Holy Scriptures are an adorable mixture of clearness 
l and obscurity, which enlighten and humble the children of 
God, and blind and harden those of this world. " The light 
proceeds from God, and the blindness from the creature." 
This is an observation of that admirable divine, Dr. Wilson, 
late Bishop of Sodor and Man, whose works contain a rich 
magazine of pious and useful observations. If all our 
bishops and clergy had lived, and preached, and wrote in 
the spirit of this good man, there would have been few 
Infidels this day in England. Bishop Wilson, though en- 
titled to the honour, always declined sitting in the House 
of Lords, saying, " That the church should have nothing 
to do with the state. Christ's kingdom is not of this 
world."— See his Works, vol. i. p. 34, quarto edit. The 
public is greatly indebted to the late Archbishop Newcomb, 
an Irish prelate, for his learned labours on biblical subjects. 
This sound scholar declares his opinion to be, that "every 
genuine proposition in Scripture, whether doctrinal or histo- 
rical, contains a truth when it is rightly understood ; and that 
all real difficulties in the gospels will at length yield to the 
efforts of rational criticism." — See his " Harmony." Though 
Dr. Mill has enumerated more than' 30,000 variations in 
the manuscripts and versions of the New Testament, it is 
very remarkable and highly satisfactory that they do not, 
when all put together, affect any thing essential, either in 
the doctrines or precepts of the Gospel. 
R 



258 



4 

A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



these kinds, but not even one that is real. Learned 
men have vindicated it from these charges with all 
reasonable evidence. Can we suppose that such a 
man as Locke would say, that " it is all pure, all 
sincere ; nothing too much, nothing wanting," if such 
charges could be made good against it ? But suppose 
the New Testament did abound with both contradic- 
tions, absurdities, and falsehoods, this circumstance, 
though less honourable in itself, would by no means 
render null the divine mission of Jesus Christ. He 
might be the true Messiah notwithstanding. Impar- 
tial men should weigh this well, before they make 
the real or supposed blemishes of Scripture a ground 
of their rejecting the Saviour of the world. 

"Why was so severe a penalty as everlasting* 
punishment denounced against sin in the gospel? 
This seems hard, and, indeed, inconsistent with the 
goodness and mercy of the Divine Being." 

Guilty man is an improper judge in this matter. 
Infinite wisdom hath seen good to denounce such pun- 
ishment against incorrigible transgressors, and there- 
fore we may be well assured it is consistent with 
infinite goodness and mercy. If the denunciation of 
eternal torments will not restrain men from sin, much 
less would a shorter duration have done it. 

"The gospel of Christ bears too hard upon the 



* In the 85th of Archbishop Tillotson's " Sermons," every 
thing is said upon the eternity of the torments of hell that 
can be known "with any certainty. It is a discourse well 
worth the serious attention of the reader, especially in the 
present time of relaxed divinity, and more relaxed morality. 
Some very considerable men, among whom may be reck- 
oned the late Bishop Newton and Dr. David Hartley, have 
been of opinion that eternal punishment, properly so called, 
is no where denounced in Scripture. If so, the objection is 
of no force in any point of view. Consult Scarlett's " New 
Testament on Universal Restitution." We may be assured, 
however, in every event of things, " the Judge of all the 
earth will do right." 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 259 



pleasures of mankind, and lays us under too severe 
restraints." 

Does it, then, rob us of any pleasures worthy the 
| rational nature? It restrains us, indeed, but it only 
!; restrains us from things that would do us harm, and 
|i make us and our fellow creatures miserable. It ad- 
I mits of every rational, manly, benevolent, and humane 
j| pleasure. Nay, it allows every sensual enjoyment . 

that is consistent with the real good, and true happi- 
! ness, of the whole compound nature of man. It en- 
joins every thing that will dous harm, under penalties 
of the most alarming kind. Could a Being of infinite 
benevolence and perfection do better, oract otherwise, 
consistently with those perfections ? 

" How can we at this distance of time know that 
the writings contained in the Bible are genuine ? 
May they not have been corrupted, and many addi- 
j tions made to them by designing men in after 
' ages V 

{ There are several circumstances which are, as we 
; have already in part observed, still in existence 
strongly corroborative of the truth of the Bible. The 
Mosaic history of the creation is confirmed by the 
present appearance of things ; Noah's flood by a va- 
riety of natural phenonema, and the general history of 
the world. The destruction of Sodom, by the face of 
the country around, and the ruins which have been 
discovered : the passage of the Israelites through the 
wilderness, by the rock that suppled them with water, 
which is still in existence, and visible to the curious 
enquirer, besides the names of places, and the tradi- 
tions of the present inhabitants : history and prophe- 
i cies concerning Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, Egypt, 
| Jerusalem, and other cities and countries are all 
i confirmed by the present state of those places and 
countries : the birth and resurrection of Christ are 
established by the existing circumstances of the 
, Christian church : and it is remarkable, that the cleft 
f in the rock, which is said to have been made by the 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



earthquake at the crucifixion of Christ is still visible, 
and bears witness to the supernatural concussion. 
Let the curious reader consult Shaw and Maundrel's | 
" Travels," together with Bryant's (t Dissertation on ! 
the Divine Mission of Moses/' and his " Observations ; 
on the Place of Residence given to the Children of 
Israel in Egypt, and their Departure from it," for ! 
several of the above particulars. 

Noah's ark is found, by the most accurate obser- 
vations of modern geometricians, to have been con- 
trived after the very best form for the purpose for 
which it was intended; and its dimensions perfectly 
well suited to receive the burden designed for it. 
It has been calculated to contain upwards of 7*2,000 
tons burden. 

Consult Doddridge's "Lectures for Heathen j 
Testimonies to the Facts contained in the Old i 
Testament." 

Never were any writings conveyed down with so 
good evidence of their being genuine as these. Upon 
their first publication, the books of the New Testa- 
ment, in particular, were put into all hand;*, scatter- | 
ed into all nations, translated into various languages. I 
They have been quoted by innumerable authors, "ap- | 
pealed to by all parties of Christians, and made the i 
standard of truth in every question of moment. We 
can trace them back through every age to the period ; 
in which they were written. And extremely re- ! 
markable and consolatory is the consideration that i 
notwithstanding the innumerable times they have j 
been copied, and the various errors, sects, and parties 1 
which have arisen, the corruptions which have pre- I 
vailed in the church, and the revolutions and convul- j 
sions which have taken place among the na ions, the 
Bible has continued fundamentally the same; inso- ! 
much, that from the very worst copy or translation 
in the world we may easily learn the genuine doctrines 
of Christianity. The divisions and squabbles of men f 
have been wonderfully over-ruled to the establishment j 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 261 

jj of God's truth. " The gates of hell shall not prevail 
j against it."* 

" But, notwithstanding all the boasted advantages 
j of the Gospel, are not many who profess to believe in 
jj Christ, and who have attended the ordinances of 
j! religion the arrantest knaves upon earth?" 
!| Granted. Do you, therefore, infer that the Gospel 
j| itself is an imposture? This argument is good for 
nothing. It proves too much. Some professors of 
I natural religion are bad men, therefore natural reli- 
gion is an imposture ; there is no God. Some great 
pretenders to philosophy are knaves ; therefore phi- 
j losophy is all an imposition upon mankind. Some 
I Deists are immoral men; therefore the principles of 
Deism are founded in error and delusion. Was it 
ever known that any man grew more moral, pious, 
virtuous, and heavenly-minded, after rejecting the 
j Gospel? I could produce you a thousand instances 
' where men have become better by cordially embrac- 
ing it ; and we may defy you to produce one instance 
where any man became worse. 

" Can any man, of an enlightened and liberal mind, 
embrace the mysterious doctrines, of Christianity? 
What must such an one think of the Trinity, the 
Atonement, the Incarceration, and those other unac- 
countable peculiarities of that institution, which have 
been a stumbling block to many persons in every age 
of the church V 9 

And are there not many strange and unaccountable 

* Set* Lardner's " Credibility," passim; Simpson's " Essay- 
on the Authenticity of the New Testament," where the evi- 
dence is brought into one short view ; and Lord Haile's 
"Disquisition concerning the Antiquities of the Chris ian 
Church." The celebrated philopher, Bonnet, of Geneva, 
assures us, after a very serious and accurate examination of 
the subject, that there is no ancient history " so well at- 
tested as that of the messenger of the Gospel ; that there 
are no historical facts supported by so great a number of 
proofs ; by such striking, solid, and various proofs, as are 
those facts on which the religion of Jesus Christ is founded." 



262 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



things in the book of nature, and in the administration 
of Divine Providence, the design andiuse of which we 
cannot see?* Nay, are there not even some things 

* "What if there should be some incomprehensible doc- 
trines in the Christian religion — some circumstance, -which i 
in their causes, or their consequences, pass the reach of 
of human reason — are they to be rejected upon that ac- 
count ? — " Weigh the matter fairly, and consider whether 
revealed religion be not, in this respect, just upon the same 
footing with every other object of your contemplation. 
Even in mathematics, the science of demonstration itself, 
though you get over its first principles, and learn to digest 
the idea of a point without its parts, a line without breadth, 
and a surface without thickness, yet you will find yourselves 
at a loss to comprehend the perpetual approximation of 
lines which can never meet ; the doctrine of incommen- j 
surables, and an infinity of infinities, each infinitly greater, 
or infinitely less, not only than any finite quantity, but 
than each other. In physics, you cannot comprehend the 
primary cause of any thing ; nor of the light, by which you 
see ; nor of the elasticity of the air, by which you hear ; 
nor of the fire, by which you are warmed. In physiology, 
you cannot tell what first gave motion to the heart ; nor 
what continues it ; nor why its motion is less voluntary j 
than that of the lungs ; nor why you are able to move your \ 
arm to the right or left by a simple volition ; you cannot 
explain the cause of animal heat ; nor comprehend the 
principle by which your body was formed, nor by which it 1 
is sustained, nor by which it will be reduced to earth. In 
natural religion, you cannot comprehend the eternity or 
omnipotence of the Deity ; nor easily understand how his 
prescience can be consistent with your freedom, or his im- 
mutability with his government of moral agents ; nor why j 
he did not make all his creatures equally perfect ; nor why j 
he did not create them sooner : in short, you cannot look 
into any branch of knowledge, but you will meet with sub- 1 
jects above your comprehension. The fall and redemption I 
of the human kind are not more incomprehensible than the 
creation and conservation of the universe ; the infinite j 
Author of the works of providence, and of nature, is 
equally inscrutable, equally past our finding out in them 
both. And it is somewhat remarkable, that the deepest 
inquirers into nature have ever thought with most reverence, 
and spoken with most diffidence concerning those things 1 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 263 



which to us seem wrong and ill-contrived? Yet we 
own the woild was created by God, and that he is the 

which in revealed religion, may seem hard to be understood ; 
they have ever avoided that self-sufficiency of knowledge which 
springs from ignorance, produces indifference, and springs 
from infidelity. " Piato mentions a set of men, who were 
very ignorant, and thought themselves extremely wise ; and 
who rejected the argument for the being of a God, derived 
from the harmony and order of the universe, as old and 
trite. There have been men, it seems, in all ages, who, in 
affecting singularity, have overlooked truth : an argument, 
however, is not the worse for being old; and surely it 
would have been a more just mode of reasoning, if you had 
examined the external evidence for the truth of Christianity, 
weighed the old arguments from miracles, and from pro- 
phecies, before you had rejected the whole account, from 
the difficulties you met with in it. You would laugh at an 
Indian, who, in peeping into a history of England, and 
meeting with the mention of the Thames being frozen, or 
of a shower of hail, or of snow, should throw the book aside, 
as unworthy of his further notice, from his want of ability 
to comprehend these phenomena."— Bishop Watson's "Apo- 
logy for Christianity." The observations of this learned 
prelate, in his "Apology for the Bible," are equally strik- 
ing, p. 115 : — "You are lavish of your praise of Deism; it 
is so much better than Atheism, that I meant not to say 
any thing to its discredit ; it is not, however, without its 
difficulties. What think you of an uncaused cause of every 
thing ? Of a being who has no relation to time, not being 
older to-day than he was yesterday, nor younger to-day 
than he will be to-morrow ? Who has no relation to space, 
not being a part here, or a part there, or a whole any where ? 
W T hat think you of.an omniscient being, who cannot know 
the future actions of a man l — or if his omniscience enables 
him to know them, what think you of the contingency of 
human actions? And if human actions are not contingent, 
what think you of the morality of actions, of the distinction 
between vice and virtue, crime and innocence, sin and 
duty ? What think you of the infinite goodness of a being 
who existed through eternity, without any emanation of 
his goodness, manifested in the creation of sensitive beings t 
Or, if you contend that there has been an eternal creation, 
what think you of an effect coeval with its cause, of matter 
not posterior to its Maker ? What think you of the exist 



264 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Governor thereof. And why shall we not allow that 
the Scriptures may he from God, notwithstanding 
those difficulties, and seeming incongruities? In- 
deed, a res-elation, which we could fully comprehend, 
would not appear the production of an infinite mind : 
it would bear no resemblance to its heavenly author ; 
and therefore we should have reason to suspect it 
spurious. It is extremely probable, that the three 
grand volumes of nature, providence, and grace, 
should all, in some respect or other, bear the stamp 
of 1 heir being derived from one source. Many things 
in the volumes of nature and providence far exceed 
our highest powers to comprehend ;* it is not impro- 
bable, therefore, that the volume of divine grace 
should be under a similar predicament. What doth 
the wisest man upon earth know of the nature of God, 
but what the Scripture hath told him? Extremely 

ence of evil, moral and natural, in the work of an infinite 
being, powerful, wise, and good ? What think you of the 
gift of freedom of will, when the abuse of freedom becomes 
the cause of general misery ? I could propose to your con- 
sideration a great many other questions of similar tendency, 
the consideration of which has driven not. a few from Deism 
to Atheism, just as the difficulties in revealed religion have 
driven yourself, and some others from Christianity to Deism. 
For my own part, I can see no rea-on why either revealed 
or natural religion should be abandoned, on account of the 
difficulties which attend either of them. I look up to the 
incomprehensible Maker of heaven and earth with unspeak- 
able admiration and self-annihilation, and am a Deist— I 
contemplate, with the utmost gratitude and humility of 
mind, his unsearchable wisdom and goodness in the redemp- 
tion of the world from eternal death, through the inter- 
vention of his Son Jesus Christ, and am a Christian." — 
Editor. 

* The dispensations of Divine Providence are ably vindi- 
cated from the objections of sceptics and infidels by Dr. 
Sherlock, in his valuable treatise on that subject. The 
reader will also find a very pleasing paper in the "Specta- 
tor," to the same purport, which he would do well to con- 
sult. It is No. 237 in the third volume. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



265 



little. It may be questioned whether we should have 
known any thing of him, had it not been for some 
original revelation. 

Consult Simpson's "Apology for the Doctrine of the 
Trinity," on this objection/ where the subject is 
treated at large. 

It appears to me indubitable, that all the real 
doctrines of religion, as contained, not in this or the 
other human institution, but the New Testament, are 
defensible on the purest principles of reason, without 
sacrificing any one of its mysterious doctrines. There 
is no need that we should carry our candour and 
complaisance so far, to gain the approbation of any 
man, or set of men whatever. 

The mysterious doctrines of religion have caused 
some sceptical men to rejectthose Scriptures in which 
they are contained ; others have explained and refined 
them away. So, because the doctrines of religion 
have been abused to superstition and folly, abundance 
of our fellow creatures, without due consideration, 
are disposed to cast off all religions whatever. Ill 
judging men ! What is human nature without reli- 
gion? How horrible the state of the world without 
religion ! Let Cicero speak its importance to human 
happiness—" Beligione subiata, perturbatio vitge 
sequitur, et magna confusio. Atque baud scio, an 
pietate adversus Decs subiata, fides etiam tesocietas 
humani generis, et una excellentissiraa virtus, justi- 
tia^, tollatur."— Be. Nat. Deo, 1, 2. 

How strongly has this been exemplified in the 
state of France for some years! 

" If Christ was so necessary to the salvation of the 
world, why was he not sent sooner? Why, even ac- 
cording to your own account, were four thousand 
years suffered to elapse before the Sun of Righteous- 
ness arose ?" 

Very sufficient reason may be given, and have a 
hundred times been given, for this wise delay. It 
may, however, be retorted, if Philosophy be medi- 



266 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



cinal to a foolish world, -why were Thales, Solon, 
Pythagoras, Aristotle, Zeno, Antoninus, Seneca, and 
other ancient Heathens, born no sooner, but men 
suffered to continue so many ages in profound igno- 
rance, little superior to the beasts that perish? An- 
swer this with respect to them, and you are answered 
with respect to the Messiah. I add, moreover, 
Christ was the "Lamb slain from the foundation of 
the world." The efficacy of his death extends from the 
beginning to the end of time. He is an universal 
Saviour. When we an} 7 of us bestow a favour upon 
a fellow creature, we alone are to determine the 
time and circumstances of doing that favour. 

" If the Gospel, and our natural passions,* both 
come from one source, why doth the former oppose 
the latter?" 

It is well known, that while the inferior powers of 
human nature assume dominion over the superior, no 
man can be happy. The intention of the Gospel is, 
therefore, not to destroy the affections of men, but 
to regulate and restore them to due order and har- 
mony, and so to promote the felicity of human life. 
And wherever it hath its proper, full, and natural 
effect, there it always forms a various, respectable, 
and happy character. The grand intention of it, 
however, is to train mankind for glory and immor- 
tality in a future state of existence. 

" If the human race are all sprung from one origi- 
nal pair, and if the several species of animals, insects, 
and birds, were produced in the garden of Eden, as 
the Bible seems to insinuate, how is it possible they 
should be found dispersed into the several countries 

* See a most remarkable deliverance from the dominion 
of indulged and long-continued lust, in the case of Colonel 
Gardiner, sec. 37, 38, of his " Life," by Dr. Doddridge. 
Every man, who is living under the tyrannical dominion of 
his lusts, and wishes to obtain deliverance, should not fail 
to consult this extraordinary emancipation. Nothing is too 
hard for divine grace to accomplish. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 267 

j of the world at an immense distance, and, in many 
j cases, separated by extensive oceans?"* 

If we refuse to believe in God till we understand 
i! all the difficulties attending his existence, and in 
j Jesus Christ till we are acquainted with all the mys- 
lj teries of Providence and grace, we must continue, 
j not only unbelievers, but iUheists, to eternity. How 
[I often must it be repeated, that our comprehension is 
, not the standard of truth? The evidence for the 

genuineness and authenticity of the Sacred Records 

must be the measure of our faith. 

" Is it at all probable, that we, and the several 

kinds of black men, should be sprung from the same 

parents, as the Bible affirms all human creatures 

were ?" 

At first view this is a considerable difficulty, but 
has been accounted for on principles perfectly satis- 
i factory, which we cannot stop here at length to 
detail.f 

" Why is the Gospel attended with so many diffi- 
culties? and why did not infinite wisdom, if infinite 
wisdom had any concern in the business, take care 
to make every thing plain and easy to the meanest 
capacity ?"| 

* See Stackhouse on this difficulty. 
* Consult Mr. Bryant's " Treatise on the Christian Reli- 
gion," p. 267-277. See the same work, too, for .answers to 
several other objections. But for a solution of the greater 
number of difficulties, I repeat again, turn to Stackhouse's 
large work on the Bible. 

+ The religion of Jesus Christ, anymore than the dispen- 
sation of Moses, was never intended to be free from diffi- 
culties. It was rather designed to be the touchstone for 
ingenuous and curable dispositions. If we are honest en- 
quirers after saving truth, and persevere in our pursuit, we 
shall not be disappointed. What we know not to-day, we 
shall know to-morrow. That is a fine anecdote which is given 
us by Jacob Bryant, Esq. in the above " Treatise on the 
Christian Religion," concerning the Queen and the Princess 
Mary. See that work, and Simpson's " Essay on the New 
Testament," p, 123. 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



It is answered, with triumphant gratitude, every 
thing necessary to salvation is plain and easy to the 
most common apprehension, if we are humbly dis- 
posed to submit our wills and understandings to the 
will and understanding of God. And. if there are 
some things in the Sacred Writings, and in the 
scheineof redemption, difficultto comprehend, itisnot 
]ess so in the course of nature, and in the principles 
of unrevealed religion. But if the Gospel of Christ 
were attended with abundantly more difficulties than 
it is, still there could be no solid objection against 
substantial proof. A poor illiterate man, in a dark 
corner of the earth, has preached a scheme of doc- 
trine and morals superior to all human wisdom, and 
calculated to make all mankind happy, if all mankind 
would submit to its authority. This he hath spread 
abroad to the ends of the world, in opposition to all 
the powers of earth and hell. Let any man account 
for this phenomenon, on principles merely human, if 
he can. 

" Has not the Gospel been the cause of the greatest 
misery and destruction to the human race, upon va- 
rious occasions, almost ever since it was introduced V 3 

It has. And this is among the proofs that it came 
from above. The author of it predicted that so it 
should be. But the Gospel itself was no otherwise 
the cause of misery and destruction to the human 
race, than as philosophy has has been the cause of 
misery and destruction to the inhabitants of France. 
As in the latter case, it was not philoeophy, but the 
abuse of it, which has done so much mischief ; so in 
the former, it was not the Gospel, but a most wicked 
perversion of its pure and benevolent doctrines, which 
has produced so much havoc among mankind.* And 

* See this difficulty answered in Bonnet's <v Interesting 
Views of Christianity," p. 230-237, end still more fully in 
the first volume of Bishop Porteus's "Sermons," discourse 
the Twelfth. The Roman emperors of the three first cen- 
turies after the birth of Christ are somewhere said by St. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 269 



i though it has not done all the good that might have 
| been designed or expected, yet it has already aceom- 
I plished great things for the world. To the Bible we 
'I owe all the best laws in our best civil institutions. 
| To the Bible Europe is indebted for much of the 
liberty whichit now enjoys ; and, little as we may think 
lj of it, the Bible, too, was the means of preserving the 
J the small share of learning which was cultivated 
during the dark ages.* We may close these obser- 
I vations in the words of that great French writer, 
Monlesque : — "To assert that religion has no re- 
straining power, because it does not always restrain, 
is to assert, that civil laws have likewise no restrain- 
in power. He reasons falsely against religion, who 
enumerates at great length the evils it has produced, 
and overlooks the advantages. Were I to recount 
all the evils which civil laws, monarchical and re- 
| publican governments, have produced in the world, 
, I might exhibit a dreadful picture. Let us set be- 
I fore our eyes the continual massacres of Greek and 
Eornan kings and generals on the one hand, and on 
the other the destruction of cities and nations by 

Jerome, if I remember right, to have martyred five thousand 
Christians a-day every day in the year, except one ; that 
is, they put to death at different times, during those cen- 
turies, one million eight hundred and twenty thousand 
vsouls ! These Heathens, however, according to this calcu- 
lation, were not half so bloody as the Roman Catholic 
Christians have been. The infidel philosophers of France, 
who are evermore charging the gospel with cruelty and 
murder, though it prohibits every thing of the kind under 
the most awful sanctions, by a most tremendous retaliation, 
have turned their arms one against another, and have mur- 
dered upwards of two millions of their own countrymen in 
the course of seven years ! Hence, it appears, that our vain- 
glorious philosophers have been, and now are, af least as 
bloody, illiberal, and intolerant as the most bloody, illiberal, 
and intolerant of us parsons! What has the rejection of 
Christianity, and the introduction of philosophy done for 
that enslaved, yet triumphant country. 

* See this proved by Jortin, vol. vii, p. 358-877. 



270 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION. 



those very kings and generals ; a Timur and a Jen- 
ciskan ravaging Asia : and we shall see, that we owe 
to religion a certain political law in government, and 
in war a certain law of nations; advantages which 
human nature cannot sufficiently acknowledge."* 

" If the Gospel be such a blessing to mankind, 
why, in these ages, has it not been published in 
every nation?" 

It is answer sufficient, that God giveth account to 
none of his matters, and every man shall be judged 
according to the privileges he hath enjoyed, and not 
according to those with which he has not been fa- 
voured. No nation hath any right to the blessing. • 
God is a sovereign, and may dispense his favours as 
his own wisdom shall direct. Moreover, all the na- 
tions of the earth shall be blessed with it in the due I j 
course of Divine Providence. 

" Jesus shall reign where'er the sun 
Does his successive journies run : 
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, 
Till moons shall wax and wane no more."+ 

" But if God was the original author of the Jewish 
and Christian dispensations, why were they permit- 
ted to contract such a mass of ceremonial corrup- 
tions V 

The fault lay not in either of the institutions, but 
in the low and superstitious state of human nature. 
The institutions were good, but the folly of men hath 
perverted them to unworthy purposes. Is the foun- 
tain to be blamed, because the streams have been 
polluted by the feet of men ? 

" Be it so ; but why was man created in so low 
and degraded a state? or rather, why was he per- 
mitted, by the benevolent and all-powerful Creator, 

* " Spirit of Laws," book xxiv. chap. 2, 3. 

+ The reader may consult the 80th section of Simpson's 
" Key to the Prophecies," for a concise view of the millenial 
reign of Christ. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



271 



to sink down into such an idolatrous and superstiti- 
| ous condition ?" 

This is a difficulty, be it observed, which affects 
i natural as well as revealed religion. Deism as well 
I as Christianity. There is no end to questions of this 
nature. With equal propriety may we ask why man 
| was not created an angel, a seraph, a God ? 

"Presumptuous man ! the reason wouldst thou find — 
Why form'd so weak, so little, and so blind ? 
First, if thou canst, the harder reason guess — ■ 
Why form'd no weaker, blinder, and no less ?" 

*' Can yon say that Thomas Paine* has not brought 
many very heavy charges against the writings both 
of the Old and New Testaments, and such as cannot 
easily be answered ?" 

We grant this argument in all its force. He is a 
man of shrewd abilities, and has a method of setting 
| difficulties in a strong point of view. But if you 
yourself are a person of any discernment, you can- 

* Paine's book against the Bible can never stagger the faith 
of any man, who is well informed upon the subject of reli- 
gion ; yet it will have great effect upon all our immoral and 
lukewarm professors of the gospel. But where is the differ- 
ence between a wicked Infidel and a wicked Christian? 
Immoral men are incapable of happiness under any dis- 
pensation of religion whatever. They must be changed, or 
perish. And it is of little consequence whether a man goes 
to hell as a Deist or a Christian ; only, it is presumed, the 
lost Christian will perish under greater aggravations. A 
letter now lies before me, which I this day, July 20th, 1798, 
received from a correspondent, who was intimately ac- 
quainted with Thomas Paine before he went to France, and 

if in whose house he spent much of his time, which assures 
me, " that Mr. Paine, notwithstanding his superior powers 
of natural reason, was a prey to chagrin, and apparent dis- 
appointment—that he was never at rest in his mind, but 
truly Mike the troubled sea, throwing up mire and filth.' " 
This gentleman further adds — and I have seen the same in- 
formation in the public prints — "I now understand /that 

i Paine is lost to all sense of decency in Paris, being intoxi- 

( cated from morning till night." 



272 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



not kelp seeing that he discovers great pride of un- 
derstanding, much rancour and malignity of heart, 
and most invincible ignorance of the subject upon 
which he writes. His intention, in his " Rights of 
Man," was, plainly, to subvert, as far as in him lay, 
the civil government of this country; and, in his ' 
" Age of Reason,' 3 he meant no other than to convert 
the common people of England to a state of Infide- 
lity, and so to overturn the religious government of 
the country ; and, in both, he evidently meant no 
other than to involve us as a nation in civil and reli- 
gious destruction. To men of serine, moderation, 
and information, there is no danger, either from his 
political or religious efforts, but there is danger to 
every reader of his writings who is not, possessed of 
these qualifications. Bishop Vv'atson's u Apology" 
may perfectly satisfy any man that Thomas Paine is ; 
by no means qualified to write against the Bible. ( 
Any fool, indeed, may sneer, revile, abuse, and ridi- 
cule, the most valuable objects in nature. The late ' 
atheistical king of Prussia had had the impudence 
to treat the Deity himself in this manner. But what j 
shall the end be of them that know not God, and ! 
obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? 

If the audacity of this scurrilous Infidel were not i 
equal to his ignorance, he would never have attacked , 
the clergy on the score of literature, as he does when 
he insinuates they are acquainted with little more ' 
than ab ab, eb eb, and hie, Ikec, hoc. Where does 
he find, in any period or country in the world, men 1 
of more deep," various, and extensive learning, than 
are large numbers of the clergy, among the several 
denominations of Christians ? Abundance of names I 
are to be found, wish whom he is no more fit to be 
compared, than a dwarf with a giant. One does not f 
wonder, indeed, to hear him explode an acquaintance 
with languages, when, according to his own confes- 
sion, he is a stranger to all but the English. To 
hear such an ignoramus prate about the science of 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



273 



astronomy, and the properties of triangles, is enough 
to sicken any man, who has even a smattering of 
knowledge. Let this empty and vain-glorious 
boaster call to mind a even small number of priests, 
' who have been an honour to human nature, in point of 
| mathematical, philosophical, and literary attain- 
|| ments, at least, and then let him blush, if he is capa- 
ble of blushing, at his own vile perversions of Scrip- 
! ture, and misrepresentations of the characters of the 
| friends of religion. Whatever faults some of the 
clergy may have been guilty of, or whatever defects 
there may be in the ecclesiastical constitution of 
this, or any other country, a large number of clerical 
names will be handed down with honour, as the be- 
nefactors of mankind, while his shall be damned to 
fame, as a base calumniator of the Sacred Writings, 
and the characters of men much better than himself. 
What shall we say when such scholars as Barrow, 
I Gudworth, Wilkins, Pearson, Durham, Flamsteed, 
Hales, Bentley, Bochart, Desaguliers, Mede, Bax- 
ter, Chillingworth, Clarke, Berkeley, Butler, War- 
burton, Watts, Doddridge, Lowman, Jortin, Lard- 
ner, Witherspoon, Robertson, and a thousand others, 
both living and dead, are involved in the censure of 
this scurrilous sciolist? It is true, the church has 
had a very long and dark eclipse. Priests have been 
highly to blame on many occasions. But no age can 
be produced when they have not been, at least, as 
learned and religious as any other body of men. 
There was a time, indeed, when Vigilius was con- 
demned to be burnt for asserting the existence of the 
j Antipodes ; and, even so late as the beginning of the 
| seventeenth century, Gallileo, who discovered and 
introduced the use of telescopes, instead of being re- 
i warded for his pains, was imprisoned, and compelled 
I to renounce his opinions resulting from such disco- 
I veries as damnable heresies. These are lamentable 
facts, and the priests concerned in the persecution, 
, deserved to be hanged. But I will take upon me to 
s 



274 



A PLEA FOR KELIGION 



aver, that even in this enlightened, literary, and 
philosophical age, at. the very close of the eighteenth 
century. Thomas Paine himself hath submitted to 
the view of the world a number of as palpable in- 
stances of ignorance, or maliciousness, or both, as 
ever an insulted public was cursed with any one per- 
son, who pretended to write for the improvement of 
mankind. "The Age of Reason," as applied to this 
vain man's pamphlet, is a burlesque; it is an insult 
upon common sense; it ought rather to be called, 
the Age of Falsehood — the Age of Infidelity — the 
Age of Ignorance— the Age of Calumny — the Age of 
Manianism— or, in short, the Age of Any Thing, but 
that of Reason. 

I will give the reader a few specimens, and leave 
him to judge. 

1. Mr. Paine alleges, that Moses could not be the 
author of the five books which go under his name, 
because they are frequently written in the third I 
person. 

Xenophon and Ca?sar will answer this difficulty. 

2. Mr. Paine confounds mathematical with histo- I 
rical evidence. 

Any novice in the science, however, knows the 
difference. 

3. Mr. Paine confounds also a book that is genu- 
ine with one that is authentic. 

He ought to have known that the difference is 
extremely great and important. 

4. He declares that the prodigies recorded by 
Livy and Tacitus are attended with as good evidence 
as the miracles of Christ. 

No man of any information can justify such an 
assertion. 

5. He asserts, that miracles admit not of proof. 
Let the reader turn to Campbell on the subject 

and judge. The testimony of five hundred, or fifty, 
or even ten creditable persons is sufficient to esta- 
blish the validity of any of the scriptural miracles, 
where there is no counter evidence. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 275 



6. Mr. Paine assures us, there is no affirmative 
evidence that Moses is the author of the Pentateuch. 

No books in the world ever had more affirmative 
evidence. Bishop Watson has brought it into one 
view. Abundance of the most respectable authors, 
who have written since the time of Moses, give 
|j their testimony to his writings. The books of 
l| Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and 
1 most of those which follow, all bear witness to them, 
I besides several of the Heathen. 

7. He asserts that the genealogy from Adam to 
Saul takes up the first nine chapters of the first 

, book of Chronicles. 

Now any man may see, that the descendants of 
David to four generations after Zerubbabel are found 
in the third chapter ; and the succession of the high 
priests till the captivity, in the sixth chapter, with 
various other similar matters. 

8. Mr. Paine considers the books of Chronicles as 
a repetition of the two books of Kings. 

It is easy to be convinced, however, that this is a 
very erroneous representation. The first book of 
Kings contains an account of the old age and death 
of David, with the succession and reign of Solomon ; 
the history of Rehoboam, and the division of the 
kingdom ; Jeroboam's reign, and several of his suc- 
cessors in the kingdom of Israel, till the death of 
Ahab. It contains, moreover, some account of Asa, 
Jehosophat, and other kings of Judah, so far as con- 
nected with the contemporary kings of Israel. The 
history of Elijah is also interwoven in the same book 
pretty much at length, with some notice of Elisha. 

The second book of Kings finishes the history of 
Elijah, and carries forward the history of Elisha to 
some extent, with a kind of joint history of the 
kings of Israel and Judah, and those with whom 
they had war, till the captivity of the king of Israel 
by Shalmaneser, and of the king of Judah by Nebu- 
chadnezzar. 

s 2 



276 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Let us now examine the contents of the two books 
of Chronicles. 

The first book contains the genealogies before 
mentioned, and the history of David, with the set- 
tlement of the temple service. 

The second book of Chronicles contains the histo- 
ry of Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, and all the suc- 
ceeding kings of Judah, pretty much at large, till 
the Babylonish capthity. 

From this short review of these four books, it ap- 
pears, that the reigns of Solomon and Rehoboam, 
with some small variations, are common to the books 
of Kings aud Chronicles; but that, in most other 
respects, they are entirely different. 

9. Mr. Paine says, the book of Ezra was written 
immediately after the Jews return from Babylon. 

He should have known, however, that it was near 
fourscore years after. 

10. Mr. Paine says, Ezra and Neheiniah wrote an 
account of the same affairs in the return of the Jews 
from captivity. 

He is as much mistaken here as he was concerning 
the four books of Kings and Chronicles ; for Xehe- 
miah relates few or none of the same events with Ezra. 

11. He says, Satan is nowhere mentioned in the 
Old Testament but in Job. 

Let any man consult 2 Sam. xix. 22 ; 1 Kings v. 
4; 2 Chron. xxi. 1; Psalm cix. G ; Zech. iii. 1 ; and 
other places, and say what dependance can be placed 
on this mistaken man's assertions. 

12. He pretends to prove that the book of Job is 
the work of some Heathen writer, from the words 
Pleiades, Orion, and Arcturns, which are found in our 
translation. See chap. ix. 9 : xxxviii. 31, 32. 

In the original Hebrew, however, the words areHus, 
Chesil, and Kima. Where then is his argument? 

13. He says, the Heathens were a just, moral peo- 
ple, not addicted to cruelty and revenge,neitherwere 
they worshippers of images. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



277 



This assertion is in direct opposition, not only to the 
Bible, but to the general strain of universal history. 

.4. Mr. Paine makes himself merry with supposing 
that we priests are of opinion all the Psalms were 
written by David, and that he must, therefore, have 
composed some of them after his death. 

But, where does he find any man of character that 
asserts they were all written by David ? The 
titles to the Psalms might convince him to the 
contrary. 

15. He says, priests reject reason. 

As a universal proposition, this is utterly false. 
There are none more reasonable men upon earth than 
many of the Christian priests. 

16* He says, " almost the only parts in the book 
called the Bible, that convey to us any idea, of God, 
are some chapters in Job, and the 19th Psalm. I 
recollect no other." 

Very possibly. But then, is he not a very fit man 
to write against the Bible? What thinks he of the 
8th Psalm, the 18th, the 24th, the 59th, the 33rd, the 
3ith, the 30th, the 40 th, the 47th, the 50th, the 65th, 
the 93rd, the 98th, the 98th, the 103rd, the 104th, the 
107th, the 139th, the 145th, and a vast variety of 
other passages, which speak, more or less, of the 
existence, perfections, and government of the Divine 
Being? 

17. He says, " some chapters in Job, and the 19th, 
Psalm, are true deistical compositions, for they treat 
of the deity through his works. They take the book 
of creation as the word of God ; they refer to no other 
book; and all the inferences they make are drawn 
from that volume." 

This declaration is so far from being true, that one 
half of the 19th Psalm itself is occupied in celebrat- 
ing the perfections of the Law of Moses. 

18. He says, the Jews never prayed but when in 
trouble. 

That this-is a vile slander, see 1 Kings iii. 6-9 ; 1 



278 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Kings nil. 23-53; and a variety of the Psalms, 
which were composed upon joyful occasions. 

The man who can thus wickedly slander a whole 
nation is admirably well suited to declaim against the 
iniquity of priests and prophets! Bolingbroke and 
Voltaire were tolerably expert in perversion and de- 
famation, but Thomas Paine, I think, excels them 
both in these estimable qualifications ! 

19. He savs, king Ahaz was defeated and destroy- 
ed by Pekah. 

This is utterly false : he was defeated, but not de- 
stroyed. He died a natural death : and the promise 
of the prophet Isaiah was literally fulfilled. 

20. He says, the book of Isaiah is a bombastical 
rant, extravagant metaphor, such stuff as a school- 
boy would have been scarcely excusable for writing." 

Better judges than Thomas Paine are of a very 
different opinion. And to go no farther, I challenge 
him, and all his friends, to produce, from any book, 
ancient or modern, an oration equally eloquent with 
the first chapter of this despised book, or any poem 
more sublime than that in the fourteenth. 

21. He says, the prophet of Judah was found dead 
by the contrivance of the prophet of Israel. 

Where does he find his evidence? He can prove 
no such thing. There is an old-fashioned book of high 
authority, which saith— u When the devil speaketha 
lie, he speaketh of his own ; for he is a liar, and the 
father of it. ! ' 

22. Solomon had his house full of wives and mis- 
tresses at the age of one-and-twenty. 

Let him produce his evidence. Where is it record- I 
ed? 

23. The infauts were not butchered by Herod, 
because the Baptist was not involved in the destruc- 
tion. 

Mr. Paine ought to ha ve known, that the parents of 
the Baptist did not live at Bethlehem, but at Hebron, 
which was at a good distauce. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



279 



24. He intimates, that Christ had in view the 
deliverance of his country from the Roman yoke. 

Assertions are not proofs. Where is the evidence ? 

25. He says, Christ was not much known when he 
was apprehended. 

Where hid he learn this? Produce the evidence. 

•26. He affirms, Christ did not intend to be appre- 
hended and crucified. 

This is in direct opposition to the gospel, from 
whence all his evidence arises. 

27. He asserts, that Peter was the only one of the 
men called Apostles who appears to have been near 
the spot at the crucifixion. 

It is very plain, from this, that Mr. Paine knows 
very little about what he is so abusive. Where was 
John? 

28. Mr. Paine calls Luke and Mark apostles. 

Let any person consult the list of these twelve 
honourable men, and see if he can find these two 
names among them. 

29. He says, it appears from the Evangelists, that 
the whole time, from the crucifixion to the ascension, 
was apparently not more than three or four days. 

This assertion shews the most consummate igno- 
rance of the subject upon which he writes. 

30. He says, all the circumstances of Christ's con- 
duct, between the resurrection and ascension, are 
reported to have happened about the same spot. 

Some happened at and near Jerusalem, others 
in Galilee, which was upwards of fifty miles from 
Jerusalem. 

31. He affirms that according to Matthew, Christ 
met his disciples in Galilee on the day of his resur- 
rection. 

There is a plausibility in this assertion, of which 
many of the others are destitute, but it is without 
due consideration. 

32. Mr. Paine insinuates, that Christ appeared 
only once after his resurrection. 



230 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Read the Gospels, and judge what credit is due to 
such a writer. He appeared upon various occasions. 

33. He asserts, that we have only the evidence of 
eight or nine persons to the resurrection of Christ. I 

Such affirmations merit nothing but contempt. 
Were not the twelve Apostles witnesses of this I 
event ? And what does he make of the five hundred 
witnesses mentioned by Paul ? 

34. He says, there was nothing miraculous or ex- 
traordinary in the conversion of St. Paul : he was 
struck down with lightning. 

This is the apostle of infidelity! What strange 
credulity is necessary to make a complete Deist ! 

35. Mr. Paine affirms, that St. Paul's discourse on 
the resurrection is "doubtful jargon— as destitute 
of meaning as the- tolling of the bell at the funeral." 

Well done, Tommy Paine, thou art a clever fellow 
— worthy of a seat in the French convention! We 
shall expect, ere long, to hear thou hast obtained 
one of the most honourable niches in the national 
Pantheon, as a benefactor of mankind ! 

36. Mr. Paine has the audacitv repeatedly to call ! 
St. Paul a fool. 

Mr. Locke, Lord Littleton, and Mr. Paley, will 
settle the matter of the Apostle's foolishness with 
this doughty champion for unbelief. 

After all these instances of ignorance, falsehood, 
maliciousness, or misrepresentation, will any person 
undertake to say that Mr. Paine is a wise man. 

37. Mr. Paine roundly asserts, " that there was 
no such book as the New Testament till more than 
three hundred years after Christ." 

If priests and prophets are such " lying rascals, 
that there is no believing any thing they say," I 
close this long catalogue of strange assertions, by 
asking — Who is the liar now? 

The principal books of which the New Testament 
consists, were in existence, and read as sacred writ, 
from the time they were first composed by the au- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



231 



thors whose names they respectively bear. I defy 
Mr. Paine, or any other man, to disprove this asser- 
tion.* 

I give these as so many specimens of the false, ig- 
j norant, or malicious misrepresentations of this vain- 
i glorious man. It were an easy matter to increase 
j the number. These, however, may suffice. It can 
be of little use to enlarge the selection. From the 
whole, it appears, that misapprehension, misrepre- 
| sentation, false wit, empty declamation, scurrilous 
language, and bitter invective, are the sum total 
that the keenest capacity, and most virulent enmity, 
can produce against the Sacred Writings. I have 
examined his books repeatedly, and with scrupulous 
attention, and I declare, upon my salvation, that it 
does not appear to me he has made good, and fairly 
substantiated, any one objection to the Sacred Vo- 
. lume, that in the smallest degree affects the business 
| of human redemption, or the credit of the divine re- 
cords. He has, indeed, done his best. The book 
and the authors whom Milton, Locke, Addison, 
Boyle, Haller, Euler, and Newton had in reverence, 
almost to adoration, this ignorant and conceited man 
has treated with all possible indignity and contempt. 
We have given the reader a few specimens of his 
ignorance; we will produce a few instances of his 
insolence. Among other malignant things, with 
which his pamphlets abound, he says : — The books of 
Moses were written by some very ignorant and stu- 
pid pretenders to authorship." — " Moses was one of 
the most vain and arrogant of coxcombs." — u Genesis 
is but an anonymous book of stories, fables, and tra- 
ditionary or invented absurdities, or of downright 
lies." — "Among the detestable villains that in any 
period of the world have disgraced the name of man, 
it is impossible to find a greater than Moses. 1 '— - 
" The Bible is such a book of lies and contradictions, 

* See Simpson's " Essay on the Authenticity of the New 
' Testament." 



282 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

there is no knowing which part to believe, or whe- 
ther any."' — " The book of Ruth is an idle, bungling 
story, foolishly told, nobody knows by whom, about 
a strolling country girl creeping slyly to bed to her 
cousin Boaz." — 44 Wrinkled fanaticism." — " Priestly - 
ignorance." — u Studied craft of the scripture-ma- 
kers." — " Cant phrase of all the prophets." — u Bare- : 
faced perversion." — 44 The lying prophet and impos- 
tor Isaiah, and the book of falsehoods that bears his 
name.''' — " The traitor Jeremiah." — 44 Stupidity of the 
Bible." — " A stupid bookmaker, under the name of 
Jeremiah." — c< The prophets are impostors and liars." 
— 44 Jeremiah, another of the lying prophets." — 
" The poetical, musical, conjuring, dreaming, strol- 
ling gentry, the prophets." — 44 Elisha was a conju- 
ror." — 44 The prophets were famous for lying." — 
44 Some of them exulted in cursing." — 44 Frantic wri- 
ting" of the prophets. — 44 The vicious and malignant I 
character of a Bible prophet, or a predicting priest." 
— 44 The cant language of a Bible prophet." — 44 This 
lying book, the Bible." — 44 The Virgin Mary was 
debauched by a ghost." — 44 Matthew was a dashing 
writer. "— 44 The writer of the book of Matthew was 
an exceeding weak and foolish man." — 44 The sum 
total of a parson's learning."— 44 Priests and conju- 
rors are of the same trade." — 44 It is better, far bet- 
ter, that we admitted, if it were possible, a thousand 
devils to roam at large, and to preach publicly the 
doctrines of devils, if there were any such, than that 
we permitted one such impostor or monster as 
Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and the Bible prophets, to 
come with the pretended Word of God in his mouth, 
and have credit among us."— 44 What is it the Bible 
teaches us?" — " Rapine, cruelty, and murder." — 
44 What is it the Testament teaches us?"— 44 To be- 
lieve that the Almighty committed debauchery with 
a woman engaged to be married ; and the belief of 
this debauchery is called faith." — 44 Fragments of 
morality are irregularly and thinly scattered in the 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 283 



books of the New Testament." — " The obscurity and 
obscene nonsense of Ihe Testament." — " Faith had 
its origin in a supposed debauchery."— " The descent 
of the Holy Ghost is such absurd stuff as is fit only 
I for tales of witches and wizards." — "The grovelling 
tales and doctrines of the Bible and Testament are 
fit only to excite contempt." 
!| These are some of the flowers of Mr. Paine's " Age 
• ofKeason." I have not one word to reply. If any 
I one of my readers find a stomach for such stuff, he is 
very welome to it. I envy not his taste. If he would 
give himself the trouble to read over Bishop Watson's 
" Apology for the Bible," he will see most of these 
scurrilities handsomely chastised. I shall only apply 
the words of one of these Bible writers, as he con- 
temptuously calls them to the case in hand : — " Why 
hoastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? — 
I Thy tongue deviseth mischief like a sharp razor 
' workingdeceitfully. Thoulovestall devouring words, 
O thou deceitful tongue ! But God shall destroy thee 
for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out 
of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land 
of the living. The righteous also shall see, and fear, 
and shall laugh at him. Lo, this is the man, that 
made not God his strength— but strengthenedhimself 
in his wickedness."— Psalm lii. 
To proceed to other considerations : — 
" Some men of great ingenuity have very seriously 
called in question the very existence of Jesus Christ, 
and have contended that there never was any such 
person upon earth." 

Those that will call in question whether there ever 
existed upon earth such a person as Jesus Christ, 
may, with much greater reason, question the exist- 
ence of Alexander, Csesar, Pompey, and all the other 
heroes of antiquity. 

" Others there have been, who have presumed to 
reject the authority of the New Testement." 
Those who will undertake to deny the genuineness 



284 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



and authenticity of the four Gospels, with the wri- 
tings of Peter, Paul, James, and John, may, with 
much more appearance of truth, deny the authenti- 
city of the writings of Homer and Hesiod ; of Plato f 
and Xenophon, of Horace and Yirgil ; seeing there is 
much more evidence for the authenticity of the for- 
mer, than of the latter. 

" Does it not appear unaccountable, that the whole : 
Jewish nation should entertain such a warm expecta- 
tion of their Messiah's appearance, and that they 
should reject Christ when he actually did come, if 
he had not been an impostor ?" 

It is well known that many thousands of the Jews 
and religious proselytes were at first converted to the ■ 
faith of Christ. This sufficiently proves, that the 
very general rejection of Christ was not owing to a 
want of evidenceconcerning his mission, but to causes j 
of a different nature. 



If it be enquired what those causes were? it may 
be replied— Many false Messiahs arose about that 
time. This circumstance was calculated to perplex f 
the minds of simple people, and leave them undeter- 
mined which was the' true one. The meanness of our 
Saviour's parentage; his dwelling in Galilee; his 
rejecting all worldly honour; the simplicity of his 
life and doctrine; the ignominy of his death ; the 
sublime language of the prophets concerning his king- ! 
dom ; but, above all, the general wickedness of the 
generation in which he appeared ; there seem to be , 
sufficient causes for the rejection of the Messiah with- | 
out considering him in the light of an impostor. 

Besides: by the infidelity of the Jews, we gain a J 
large number of unsuspected witnesses to the truth of j 
the Old Testament; and, by their dispersion into all 
countries, they are God's witnesses, and as a seed 
sown for the future conversion of the nations ; by 
their infidelity, too, are fulfilled abundance of prophe- 
cies; it is, moreover, a great advantage to the Gospel 
to have been first preached in a nation of unbolievers 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



285 



i it is a means of making the prophecies more attended 
I to, and more studied ; it serves to shew that God did 
' not choose the Jews from among the nations for then* 
j own sakes ; it is a warning to us to beware of the 
same infidelity; we are taught by it, likewise, that it 
| is not being of any particular nation or church which 
I savethaman; and, lastly, it is well calculated to 
| correct a vain opinion, which every one is apt to en- 
' tertain, that had we lived in the times of our Saviour, 
j and conversed personally with him, we should have 
been better Christians, and obeyed without doubt and 
without reserve. 
I " Say what you please, you shall never persuade me 
1 to believe abundance of things contained in the book 
called the Bible." 

Very good. Take your own way. I wish not to 
force your conviction, contrary to evidence. Only 
weigh the matter seriously and conscientiously, and 
! may the Author of your being direct your determi- 
nation! But, suppose you feel yourself incapable of 
receiving the New Testament as a religious system, 
jj founded in truth, cannot you receive it as a system 
I of morals founded in policy ? This will not make you 
a religious man indeed, but it may make you a good 
subject, and a respectable member of civil society. 
It is well known, that the importance of religion, to 
the well-being of every civil community, is a point on 
which the greatest politicians, no less than the most 
respected moralists, have been generally agreed ; and 
it is an undisputed fact, established in the page of 
I history, that in proportion as the influence of religion 
has declined in any country, in that same proportion 
the state itself has tended to its dissolution. Is not 
this an unanswerable argument founded in universal 
experience, if not for the truth, yet for the utility of 
religion. 

" But, suppose I should be convinced of the fallacy 
of my own opinions, "and th*> truth of Christianity, 
J what must I do? How shall I know, among all the 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



uncharitable and contending denominations of Chris- 
tians, who is right, and who^is wrong, and to whom I 
should unite myself in Christian fellowship?" 

Take the New Testament into your hand; read it 
diligently, call upon the Lord for direction faithfully, 
and follow whithersoever it leads the way. Take no- 
thing upon trust, pin your faith upon no man's sleeve, 
to the law and the testimony.* Believein Christ, as 
the word teaches, put .your whole trust andconndenee 
in him, obey his precepts, worship God publicly and 
privately with sincerity and zeal, do justly, love 
mercy, and walk humbly with your Maker, and look 

* Few of the sectarists of the present day have departed far- 
ther from the scriptural view of things than the New Church. 
The form of baptism in their liturgy is this: — "I baptize 
thee in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is at once 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Their confession is this: — 
" Dost thou believe that God is one both in essence and in 
person, in whom is a divine Trinity, consisting of Father, 
Son, and Holy Spirit, and that the Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ is He? I do." The Lord's Supper is thus adminis- 
tered : — " The body of our Lord Jesus Chrst, which is the 
divine good of his divine love, nourish and preserve you 
unto eternal life. Take and eat this, in remembrance 
that the Lord glorified his human, and thereby became the 
God of heaven and earth." Enough ! One is grieved and 
surprised that any set of people should take such liberties 
in altering the Sacred Writings. To our master, however, 
we must each of us stand or fall. Some time since there 
was a letter written and addressed to the clergy in behalf 
of Swedenborg's theological works. The letter is admirably 
well written, and in an excellent spirit, whoever was the 
author. But surely a man of his sense must see the falla- 
ciousness of his own reasoning on the thirteenth page of 
the small edition, where he gives his reasons why the wri- 
tings he wishes to recommend should be received. The 
whole force of his recommendation rests upon the reasons 
there given in favour of Swedenborg's divine commission, 
and yet those reasons are altogether without any sound and 
legitimate foundation. What will not ingenious men say, 
arid how far will they not go. to establish a favourite 
hypothesis ? 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 287 



for his mercy through Christ Jesus unto eternal life, 
and be assured all shall be well. 
" Be all these things, however, as they may, the 
j religion of Jesus is a thing of which you do not ap- 
prove. He might be a very good sort of man, but 
| his doctrines are not to your taste. If you could only 
j get clear of the Bible and the d — d priests,* of every 

I * It is greatly to be lamented, that the clergy, in moot 
; ages of the Christian church, have been very generally un- 
I friendly to toleration ; and that they should have been the 
instruments of calling for, or stirring up, the civil power to 
persecution, every good and liberal minded man must con- 
fess and bewail this misfortune. This spirit, however, has 
not been confined to ministers of the establishment. Jews, 
Heathens, and Mahometans, Presbyterians, Independents, 
and Baptists, have all, in their turns, when the power has 
; come into their hands, been guilty of the same intolerant 
conduct.* It is human nature, and a part of its disease. 
But the gospel itself, all pure, and perfective of reasonable 
j beings, is free from the bloody charge. Jesus, the author 
; of it, was the most generous, humane, and amiable of cha- 
\ racters. But, alas ! we have sadly forgotten, or perverted 
j his institutions. Persecution and bloody deeds are the in- 
j fallible marks of Antichrist, Eev. xvii. 6. That the Protes- 
I tant churches should have imitated the beast in this worst 
part of his conduct, can never be sufficiently bewailed. 
Every reign, almost from the Reformation to the Revolu- 
tion, was stained with the blood of souls. Henry VIII., 
who contrived to remove the pope of Rome from being head 
of the English church, and put himself in his place, was 
a vile, tyrannical, libidinous, and bloody wretch. A consi- 
derable number of persons were put to death in his reign 
\ for conscience sake. Nay, even the excellent young king, 
I Edward VI., was a persecutor, in some cases, unto death, 
1 being over-persuaded by those about him, particularly the 
good, but mistaken Cranmer. Mary and Elizabeth shed 
much blood on account of religion. James and Charles 
were not innocent. They stained their hands in blood on 
the same account. Cromwell, and the prevailing parties 
during the rebellion, made dreadful havoc. After the Res- 

* See the pamphlet entitled, "A Look to the last Cen- 
tury ; or, the Dissenters weighed in their own Scales.'' 
An instructive piece. 



288 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

denomination, as the French had done, you then 
flatter yourselves we should see happier days ?" 

toration, it is computed that not less than eight thousand i 
persons perished in prison, and the sum of two millions of 
money was wrested from the sufferers. Sixty thousand 
persons are said to have suffered, in one way or other, from 
the Restoration to the Revolution, which was only a period 
of about thirty^years. Let the reader consult Dr. Doddridge's 
excellent sermon against the damnable spirit of persecution. 
Indeed, all national religions, whether Pagan, Jewish, 
Turkish, or Christian, have ever hitherto been national ty- 
rannies. The last began with Constantine, the first Chris- 
tian emperor, and continues to this day, our own establish- 
ment not excepted. And of what pliable stuff we parsons 
are made has been tried upon various occasions in this 
country. When Henry VIII. discarded the pope of Rome, 
and made himself pope in his place, the great body of 
bishops and clergy followed the example : very few, com- 
paratively, suffered death for refusal. When Edward VI. 
rejected most of the remaining rubbish of popery, and be- 
came Protestant, almost all the bishops and clergy again 
followed the example. Then when Mary afterwards undid 
all that Edward had done, and introduced popery again, 
near three thousand were turned out of their livings, but 
not more than four or five hundred, both of the clergy and ; 
laity, suffered for the refusal to join her. And then, once 
more, when Elizabeth rejected popery, the clergy, very gene- 
rally, imitated her conduct. Not more than two hundred 
gave up their preferment. All these changes took place in 
the course of forty years. But, whoever prevailed, Papist 
or Protestant, they were steady to their purpose of persecu- 
ting those who refused to comply with their tyrannical in- 
junctions Nay, even Calvin persecuted Servetus to death; 
and the gentle Melancthon approved of what Calvin had 
done. Cranmer* had his victims ; and, what is worse, the 
laws of England, in the close of the eighteenth century, | 
contain bloody statutes in full force. Bloody laws, how- 
ever, on account of religion, though of no force, through 
the liberality of the times, ought to be repealed, if it were 
only for the "honour of old England ; but there is a higher 

* Cranmer was concerned in putting five or six persons 
to death for their religious opinions, and he himself was at 
last put to death by queen Mary for the same cause. A just 
retaliation ! 



AN D THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



289 



The Bible, and the persons appointed by that book 
to minister in holy things, are unquestionably great 
restraints upon the passions of men; and, blameable 
as our order has been, and bad as the world is, there 
is no little reason to suppose it would be much worse 
without that order. It is probable you have not well 
j considered what the consequence would be of reirov- 
lj ing these grievances out of the way. A suece sful 
invasion from the French, would, in all likelihood, 
I enable you to obtain these ends, for a considerable time. 
I Had we not, however, " better bear those ills we have, 
than fly to others that we know not of?" Reibrma- 
tion of the decayed, impolitic, and unevanr/elieal parts 
of the British constitution— not surely the destruction 
of the whole— should be the ardent wish of every true 
friend to his country, and to human nature. Perfect 
liberty, civil and religious, is the birth-right of man. 
Whatever of this nature is still wanting in this happy 
| land, might be easily obtained from the very nature 
j of our government. No man, therefore, who is a 
friend to his country, could desire to see it invi Ived 
in political ruin, for the sake of obtaining what he 
may conceive to be some considerable advantage's. 
Enlighten the public mind, and it will not be long 
before all remaining abuses shall be rectified. 

Delenda est Carthago* is the uniform language ©j 
Frenchmen. What the meaning of that phrase v> ill 
be, we may forma pretty good idea from the history 
of Carthage, and the treatment which Lyons ; one of 
their own cities, received, when it refused to 

reason which, should influence the professors of an u er 
j I cuting Master. 

* The city of Carthage was taken ami plund' red b V- e 
| Romans 144 years before the birth of Christ! It w t 7 nty- 
four miles in compass, and the burning of ir con'-meed 
seventeen days together. Cato was the author. of the sen- 
tence, Dele id a est Carthago, and Scipio pat it h. exec -a- 
tion with infinite horror, blood, and slaughter. - See the 
1 Roman hisiory for the account at ~:vrp<.\ ', 



A PLC A FOR KELTGIOK 



with the decrees of the Convention. It is worth 
while to state this at some length, as a useful lesson 
to my countrymen. 

By the new constitution of France, it was decreed, 1 
that the king could not be dethroned, unless found at 1 
the head of an army against his country. This was 
to be regarded as the highest crime he could possibly 
commit, and even for this he could be punished no 
otherwise than by being dethroned. u No crime what- 
ever," says the constitution, "shall be construed to 
affect his life." This constitution every Frenchman 
had sworn u to obey, and maintain with all his might. 5 ' 
When, therefore, it was proposed to the people of I 
Lyons, by the emissaries of the National Convention, 
to petition for the death of the king, they replied, - 
almost with one voice, "No ; we have sworn, with f 
all France, to maintain the new constitution with all f 
our might. That constitution declares, that no crime f 
whatsoever shall affect the life of the king. For any I 
tiling we have yet seen or heard, we believe him in- 
nocent of every crime which has been laid to his charge. 
The mode of his trial is unprecedented in the annals < 
of injustice, the Convention being at once accuser, 1 
evidence, and judge. We believe him perfectly in- 
nocent; but whether he be or not, the constitution 
that we have, by a solemn oath, bound ourselves to 
maintain with all our might, declares, that no crime I 
wlwever shall be construed to affect his life; that 
life, therefore, we cannot, we will not demand. The 1 
rest of the nation may sport with engagements which J 
they have called the Almighty to witness ; they may 
add the crime of assassination to that of perjury ; i 
they may stain themselves with the blood of their 
innocent and unfortunate prince ; the Lyonese uever : 
will." 

This was an answer full of good sense, justice, piety, 
and honour. 

What, however, was the consequence? The Con- 
vention immediately vowed vengeance. A numerous 




AKD THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



291 



army was prepared. Siege was laid to the city. Ten 
1 thousand of the inhabitants defended it for sixty days 
against fifteen times their number, though it had 
! neither magazines nor fortifications. Thirty thousand 
men were slain without the city. Provisions failed 
| within. A capitulation was proposed by the besieged. 

The besiegers, however, knowing the extremity to 
J which the city was reduced for want of bread, would 
« grant them no terms whatever, without putting to 
' death indiscriminately all those who had taken up 
arms within the city. Seeing no hopes of capitula- 
tion, the besieged ^determined to cut their way through 
I the enemy, or fall in the attempt. The besiegers, 
knowing all that passed from their partizans within 
\ the city, were prepared to receive them; insomuch, 
that out of near four thousand persons who made 
this desperate effort, the whole were either killed or 
) taken, except about fifty.* 



* The French have always been a brave and warlike peo- 
ple. In no war, however, did they ever fight with such 
desperate and ferocious courage as in the last. On the first 
of June, against Lord Howe, and in the other more recent 
actions, they displayed the most determined resolution. The 
Dutch did the same in the action against Admiral Duncan. 
But if the French and Dutch displayed such feats of bra- 
very, what must the English have done ? By land too, as 
well as by sea, the English, in the course of that unhappy 
struggle, discovered very eminent superiority. We usually 
say, facts are stubborn things. Let the following then 
speak the language of honest truth :— At Lincelle, 11 00 
British guards stormed a formidable work, defended by six 
times the number, completely routed the enemy, and made 
themselves masters of the artillery. In the action near Ca- 
teau, 1800 British cavalry defeated their army of 25,000 
men, pursued them to the gate of Cambray, took their ge- 
neral prisoner, and upwards of fifty pieces of cannon. At 
the battle of Tournay, a small British brigade, under the 
command of General Fox, drove back General Pichegru's 
left wing, and decided the victory, till that moment doubt- 
ful. At a sortie from Nemegueu, six British battalions 
marched out in the middle of the day, threw themselves, 



T 2 



202 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



After this the victors showed such mercy as might 
"be expected from them. Not content with butchering 
their prisoners in cold blood, they took pleasure in i 
making them die by inches, and in insulting them in 
the pangs of death. Placing several together, they 
killed one of them at a time, to render "death more 
terrible to the rest. Neither sex nor age had any 
weight with them. Above two hundred women, 
thirty of whom had children at the breast, whom 
conjugal love had led to follow their husbands, more 
than fifty old men, whom filial piety had snatched 
from the assassin's stab, were all most savagely but- 
chered. The death of Madame de Visague deserves 
particular notice. This young larly was about seven- 
teen years of age, and very near her time of delivery, j 
A party of the democrats found her behind a hedge, 
to which place she had drawn her husband, who was I 
mortally wounded. When they discovered her, she \ 
was on her knees supporting his head with her arm. 
One of them fired upon her with a carbine, another 
quartered her with his hanger, while a third held up 
the expiring husband to be a spectator of their more i 
than hellish cruelty. 

Several wounded prisoners were collected together, 
and put into a ditch, with sentinels placed round them, 
to prevent them from killing themselves, or one ano- 
ther ; and thus were they made to linger, some of 
them two or three days, while their enemies testified 
their ferocious pleasure by all the insulting gesticu- 
lations of savages. 

without firing- a shot, into the enemy's trenches, dispersed 
the troops that guarded them, and after being- in possession 
of them two hours, and completely destroy* u fch ir works, 
returned in perfect order to the town, without ihe enemy ; 
daring to harrass them. What feats did not Sir Charles 
Grey perform in the West Indies? What has become of 
the' French East India possessions? See Le teessaxte&s 
"Thoughts on a French Invasion," and V. iliynns's " Ac- ; 
count of the Campaign in Ihe West Indies, in the yea* 1794." I 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



293 



Such was the fury of the triumphant democrats,* 
that the deputies from the Convention gave an order 
against burying the dead, till they had been cut in 
morsels. Toilet, the infamous apostate priest of 
Trevoux, went, blood-hound like, in quest of a few 
unhappy wretches, who had escaped destruction ; and 

* This world has now existed near 6000 years ; and we 
who live in the preseut period are favoured with the expe- 
rience of all former ages. During those ages every kind of 
government has been tried. And it is found by experience, that 
every kind of government has its peculiar advantages and 
disadvantages. To guard against the inconvenience pecu- 
liar to each, the wisdom of Tacitus conceived, that a mixed 
form of government, consisting of king, lords, and com- 
mons, if it were practicable, would be the most perfect ; 
but yet he could not c nceive such a government to be 
possible. His words are : — " Cunctas nationes aut reges, 
aut primores, aut populas rexerunt, dilecta ex his et conso- 
ciata republic® forma laudari faciiius quam evenire ; aut 
si eveniat, non diuturna esse, potest." — Tacit. Ann. I. 
The British government, however, has long reduced this 
idea, by him deemed impossible, to practice ; and it should 
really seem, not only from our own experience in this 
country, but from th i conduct of the Americans in forming 
their constitution, and from the conduct of the French in 
forming theirs, that three estates, to act as checks one upon 
another, forms the most perfect system of government hu- 
man wisdom can contrive for the happiness of man. The 
Americans have two houses and a president, who is the 
same as our king, only called by another name; and the 
French, during their sanguinary revolution, had two estates, 
and five directors, who occupied the place of our king and 
his privy council. So that after all their experience, con- 
vulsions, and blood, the British government was at last the 
model they are constrain e < to follow. This consideration 
ought to induce us Englishmen, not only lo be contented 
with, but to glory in our constitution, as a most finished 
model of human wisdom. We may change, but it is im- 
possible we can change for the better. All that we should 
desire is, that every thing may be removed from it which 
is inconsistent with its purity and perfection. Our present 
legislature is competent to the correction of every abuse. — 
See a just account of the excellence of the British constitu- 
tion in Montesquieu's " Spirit of Laws," in xi. c. 6. 



29i A TLEA FOB, RELIGION 

when, by perfidious promises, he had drawn them 
from their retreats, he delivered them up to the 
daggers of the assassins. 

Of the little army that attempted the retreat ; six 
hundred and eighteen were brought back in chains; 
some of them died of their wounds, and all those who 
were not relieved from life this way, were dragged 
forth to an ignominious death. 

Prior to these misfortunes there was an infamous 
assembly in Lyons, which took the name of the de- 
mocratic club. In this club a plot was laid for the 
assassination of all the rich in one night. Their oath 
was — " We swear to exterminate all the rich and aris- 
tocrats ; their bloody corpses thrown into the Rhone, 
shall bear our terrors to the affrighted sea." This 
plot was happily discovered in time to prevent its 
effects; and the president, Chalier, with two others, i 
were condemned to die. This Chalier was looked i 
on as a person of infamous character before the Revo- 
lution ; and, since the Revolution, he had imbrued 
his hands in the blood of his own father ? 

After the capture of the city, the above democratic ; 
club was re-organized, and Javogues, the deputy from 
the Convention, became its new president. After 
having represented Chalier as a martyr to the cause 
of liberty, he addressed himself to the assembly in 
nearly these terms : — " Think," said he, " of the slavery 
into which you are plunged, by beiug the servants 
and workmen of others : the nobles, the priests, the 
proprietors, the rich of every description, have long 
been in a combination to rob the democrats, the real 
sans culotte republicans, of their birth-right. Go, 
citizens, take what belongs to you, and what you 
should have enjoyed long ago. Nor must you stop 
here ; while there exists an aristocracy in the build- 
ings, half remains undone. Down with those edifices, 
raised for the profit or pleasure of the rich, down with 
them all ; commerce and arts are useless to a warlike < 
people, and the destruction of that sublime equality, 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



205 



which France is determined to spread over the globe. 55 
I He told this deluded populace, that it was the duty 
of every good citizen to discover all those whom he 
knew to be guilty of having, in thought, word, or 
deed, conspired against the republic. He exhorted 
j them to fly to the offices open for receiving such 
l| accusations, and not to spare one lawyer, priest, or 
nobleman. He concluded this harangue, worthy of 
i one of the damned, with declaring, that for a man to 
accuse his own father was an act of civism worthy a 
true republican, and that to neglect it was a crime 
which should be punished with death. 

The deeds which followed this diabolical exhorta- 
tion were such as might be expected. The bloody 
democrats left not a house, not a hole unsearched ; 
men and women were led forth from their houses with 
as little ceremony as cattle from their pens. The 
| square where the guillotine stood w 7 as reddened with 
j blood like a slaughter-house ; while the piercing cries 
of the surviving relations was drowned in the more 
> vociferous bowlings of Viva la Republique ! 

Soon after this orders were given from the Conven- 
tion for the demolition of the city. A hundred houses 
were destroyed per day. All the hospitals, manufac- 
tories, banks, &c. &c. were destroyed, without ex- 
ception. Before the Revolution, the city contained 
above 150,000 inhabitants. It was the second town, 
with respect to population in France, and the first 
manufacturing town in all Europe. It does not now 
contain 70,000 inhabitants, and those are all reduced 
to beggary and ruin. As for trade there is no such 
| thing thought of. The last report to the Convention, 
respecting Lyons, declares the inhabitants without 
work or bread. 

It is difficult to stifle the voice of nature, and to 
stagnate the involuntary movements of the soul ; yet 
even this was attempted, and in some degree effected, 
j by the deputies of the Convention. Perceiving that 
the above scenes of blood and devastation had spread 



A PLEA FOU RELIGION 



a gloom over the countenances of the inhabitants!, 
a ;<l that even i ; ome of their soldiers seemed touched 
with compunction, they issued a mandate, declaring 
every one suspected of aristocracy, who should dis- 
cover the hast symptom of pity, either by his words 
or lii ^ 1 jok-* ' 

The preamble of this mandate makes the blood run 
coM : — " By the thunder of God ! in the name of the 
representatives of the French people; on pain of 
death it is ordered," &c. £c. Who would believe 
that this terrific mandate, forbklding men to weep, 
or look sorrowful, on pain of death, concluded 
with Vive la Liberte ?— Liberty for ever ! Who would 
btdieve that the people, who suffered this mandate to 
be stuck about their city like a play-bill, had sworn 
to live free, or die ?* 

In spite, however, of all their menaces, they still 
found, that remorse would sometimes follow the mur- 
der of a friend or relation. Conscience is a trouble- 
some guest to the villain who yet believes in a here- 
after. The deputies, therefore, were resolved to banish 
this guest from the bosom of their partizans, as it had 
already been banished from their own. 

Wi th this object in view, they ordered a solemn 
civic festival in honour of Challier. His image was 
carried round the city, and placed in the churches. 
Those temples which had, many of them, for more 
than a thousand years, resounded with hosannas to 
the Supreme Being, were now profaned by the adora- 
tions paid to the image of a parricide. 

All this was but a prelude to what was to follow 
the next day. It was Sunday,t the day consecrated 

* Under the most extravagant professions of liberty, the 
French are now become the greatest slaves in Europe. 
'\ herever they go, they pretend to offer the people liberty, 
ut no sooner do the sidy folks listen and believe, tfian 
they and themselves plundered and enslaved. 

+ The French, before The Revolution, were extremely in- 
attentive to the sanclirication of the Sabbath ; and, by a 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



297 



to the worship of our blessed Redeemer. A vast 
concourse of democrats, meu and women, assembled 
at a signal agreed on, formed themselves into a sort 
of mock procession, preceded by the image of Challier, 
and followed by a little detached troop,"each bearing 
in his hand a chalice, or some other vase of thechurch. 
One of these sacrilegious wretches led an ass, covered 
with a priest's vestment, and with a mitre on his 
head. He was loaded with crucifixes, and otlnsr 
symbols of the Christian religion, and had the Old 
and New Testament suspended to his tail. Arrived 
at the square called the Terraux,they then threw the 
two Testaments, the crucifixes, &c. into a fire, pre- 
pared for the purpose, made the ass drink out of the 
sacramental cup, and were proceeding to conclude 
their diabolical profanations with the massacre of all 
the prisoners, to appease the ghost of Challier, when a 
violent thunder-gust put an end to their meeting, and 
deferred the work of death for a few hours. 

most striking retali tion of Providence, they are now en- 
tirely deprived of the Sabbath ! Many in this country, 
especially the nobility and gentry, are almost universally 
treading in the same steps ; and have we reason to suppose 
we shall not, ere long, be treated in the same manner? 
Were I an Infidel in principle, I would observe the Sab- 
bath-day, for the sake of example. For if religion could 
be proved to have no foundation in truth, it must be allow- 
ed to be extremely convenient for the purpose of keeping 
mankind in order. " I go to church sometimes/' said the 
late infidel Earl of Oxford, "in order to induce my servants 
to go to church. A good moral sermon may instruct and 
benefit them. I only set them an example of listening, not 
cf believing.^ And what injury would his lordship have 
sustained, if he had both listened, believed, and obeyed ? 
Ail hypocrites are base and contemptible characters, what- 
ever specious attainments they may possess of a literary, 
philosophical, or political kind. It dees not appear that 
his lordship, any more than Hume and Franklin, ever gave 
Christianity a serious and conscientious investigation. They 
were all too busy in life, and had little inclination to reli- 
gious pursuits. The carnal minds of a nobleman and a phi- 
losopher are equally at enmity against God. 



298 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



The pause was not long. The deputies profiting 
by the impious frenzy with which they had inspired 
the soldiery and the mob, and by the consternation of 
the respectable inhabitants, continued their butchery 
With redoubled fury. Those who led the unhappy 
sufferers to execution, were no longer ordered to con- 
fine themselves to such as were entered on the list of 
proscription, but were permitted to take whomsoever 
they themselves thought worthy of death ! To have 
an enemy among the democrats, to be rich, or even 
thought rich, was a sufficient crime. The words 
nobleman, priest, lawyer, merchant, or even honest 
man, were so many 'terms of proscription. Three 
times was the place of the guillotine changed ; at 
every place holes were dug to receive the blood, and 
yet it ran in the gutters ! The executioners were 
tired ; and the deputies, enraged to see that their work 
went on so slowly, represented to the mob, that 
they were too merciful, that vengeance lingered in 
their hands, and that their enemies ought to perish 
in mass ! 

Accordingly, the next day, the execution in mass 
began. The prisoners were led out, from one hundred 
to three hundred at a time, into the outskirts of the 
city, where they were fired upon, or stabbed.* One 

* See much more to the same purpose in Peter Porcupine's 
" Bloody Buoy," and in Barreul's " History of the French 
Clergy." Carrier alone, deputy from the Convention, put 
to death at Nantz, and other places in the south of France, 
more than 40,000 persons, including men, women, and chil- 
dren. Such men are to be considered in the light of Jehus, 
who are appointed to execute the Divine vengeance upon 
those persons and places which have incurred the displea- 
sure of the Almighty. Nantz contained the richest mer- 
chants in the kingdom, and carried on a considerable trade 
in the blood of human creatures. Bishop Burnet was in 
France at the time of the horrible persecution of the Pro- 
testants under Louis XIV. " I do not think," says he, 
" that, in any age, there ever was- such a violation of all 
that is sacred, either with relation to God or man ; and 
what I saw and knew there from the first hand, hath so 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



209 



of these massacres deserves particular notice. Two 
! hundred and sixty-nine persons, taken indiscrimi- 
nately among all classes and all ages, were led to 
J Brotteaux, and there tied to trees. In this situation, 
i they were fired upon with grape shot. Numbers of 
these unfortunate prisoners had only their limbs 
j broken by the artillery ; these were despatched with 
|| the sword or the musket. The greatest part of the 
bodies were thrown into the Rhone, some of them 
I before they were quite dead. Two men, in particular, 
had strength enough to swim to a sand-bank in the 
river. One would have thought, that, thus saved as 
it were by a miracle, the vengeance of their enemies 
would have pursued them no farther ; but no sooner 
were they perceived, than a party of the dragoons of 
Lorraine crossed the arm of the river, stabbed them, 
and left them a prey to the fowls of the air. 
| Among others who fell into the hands of the de- 
, mocrats, was Mons. Chapuis de Mauborg, one of the 
\ first engineers in Europe. They offered to spare his 
j life, if he would serve in the armies of the Conven- 
I tion. They repeated this offer, with their carbines 
at his [breast. " No," replied this gallant man, " I 
have never fought but for my God and my king ; 
despicable cowards ! fire away !" 

confirmed all the ideas that I have taken from hooks, of 
the cruelty of that religion, that I hope the impression 
which this hath made upon me shall never end but with 
my life. From these circumstances, it may be well termed, 
The Act of the whole Clergy of France."— " Travels." Let. V. 
p. 246, 247. If we would see other accounts of what might 
have been espected from a successful invasion of this coun- 

j try by the French, we may be amply gratified by Anthony 
Aufrere's, Esq. " Warning to Britain against French Per- 

j tidy and Cruelty towards the Peasants of Suabia," by Peter 

j Porcupine's " Democratic Pripciples Illustrated," and by 
" Anecdotes of the Conduct of the French in Franconia." 
To these may be added Turreau's " History of the Vendean 
War," Lavater's " Remonstrance with the French Direc- 
tory," and a work called, 44 A Rapid View of the Overthrow 

J of Switzerland." 



300 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



The dying behaviour of various of the victims was 
very noble and animated. Where so many merit 
praise, it is difficult to select. 

The king acquitted himself extremely well in the 
last trying scenes of his life; but he was the main 
support of the beast ! and, though he died piously, 
he died a determined Catholic ! not knowing that it 
w 7 as one of the main causes of his destruction. 

It is but justice to his character to observe, what, <r 
I believe, is not generally known, that it was the late I 
queen of France's party which forced on the king the i 
treaty with America, in the view of depressing Great 
Britain. Louis considered it as an unfair measure, and 
threw away the pen, when urged to sanction it with 
bis signature. But in an evil hour for himself and 
his family, he relented, on repeated importunity ; he 
signed the fatal instrument which involved both 
hemispheres in the horrors of war ; and in so doing 
he remotely signed the w r arrant for his own exeeR- I 
tion. What a "lesson is this to men of all ranks to ; 
be just and honourable in their dealings! 

The princess Lamballe was, after the royal family, | 
one of the most illustrious victims of that bloody pe- k 
riod. She was first confined in the Temple, and was 
afterwards sent to the prison of La Force, where the 
massacre began early in the morning. At three 
o'clock she was witness to the preparations making ; 
for her destruction. At seven she was dragged by 
the hair of her head into the court where the victims 
waited their final sentence. Here she continued, in 
a standing posture, to witness all the horrid pro- 
ceedings till nine o'clock, when she herself was called 
before the bloody tribunal. They asked her a few ! 
questions, all which she answered with firmness. 
They charged her with certain crimes, all which she 1 
denied. Being in a short time condemned, without 
any proof of guilt, she was dragged to the gate, and 
from the gate conducted through a double line of | 
assassins to the place of execution, through a variety i 



AND THE SACRED "WRITINGS. 



301 



of insults and reproaches. By the side of a pile of 
dead bodies, she was commanded to kneel, and ask 
pardon of the nation. Firmly she replied, " I have 
not injured the nation, and will not ask pardon !" 
I Your release is the price of your obedience. " I ex- 
j pect no favour from the hand of ruffians, who dare to 
ij call themselves the nation." Once more obey ; kneel 
" down, and ask pardon, if you wish to live.— " No : I 
[ will not bend my knee — no, I will ask no pardon, no 
favour from you." Kneel down and ask pardon, was 
re-echoed by a thousand voices, but in vain. She 
remained superior to fear. Two ruffians seized her 
by the arms, and were ready to tear her in pieces. 
With all the strength she could gather, she exclaim- 
ed, " Go on, ruffians, I will not ask pardon." Being 
enraged at her firmness, the fellows rush on her with 
drawn swords, lay open her body, cut off her head, 
I take out her heart, bite it with their teeth, put it 
into a bason, lift the head on a pike, and carry them 
i about the streets of Paris. Her body was stripped, 
I and exposed naked to the populace.— For a fuller 
account, see Barruel. This lady was a person of the 
most amiable manners and benevolent heart: faith- 
ful to her friends, and kind and liberal to all. During 
the whole time she passed in the prison of La Force, 
she supported all the poor who happened to be there. 

The murder in mass did not rob the guillotine of 
its prey; there the blood flowed without intermission. 
Death itself was not a refuge from democratic fury. 
The bodies of the prisoners who were dead of their 
wounds, and of those who, not able to support the 
idea of an ignominious death, had given themselves 
the fatal blow, were carried to the scaffold, and there 
beheaded, receiving thousands of kicks from the sans 
civets, because the blood would not run from them. 
Persons from their sick beds, old men not able to 
walk, and even women found in child-bed, were 
carried to the murderous machine. The respectable 
Mons. Lauras was torn from his family of ten cJiil- 



302 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



dren, and his wife big with the eleventh. This dis- 
tracted matron ran with her children, and threw 
herself at the feet of the brutal deputy, Collet B'Her- 
bois. No mercy! Her conjugal tenderness, the cries 
of her children, every thing calculated to soften the 
heart, presented themselves before him — but in vain. 
" Take away," said he to the officious ruffians by 
whom he w 7 as surrounded, " take away the she-rebel 
and her whelps." Thus spurned from the presence 
of him who alone was able to save her beloved hus- 
band, she followed him to the place of execution. 
Her shrieks when she saw him fall, joined to the 
wildness of her looks, but too plainly foretold her 
approaching end. She was seized with the pains of 
child-birth, and was carried home to her house. 
But, as if her tormentors had shown her too much 
lenity, the sans calotte commissary soon after ar- 
rived, took possession of all the effects in the name 
of the sovereign people, drove her from her bed and 
her house, from the door of which she fell dead in 
the street! 

About three hundred women hoped, by their united 
prayers and tears, to touch the hearts of those fero- 
cious deputies ; but all their efforts were in vain as 
those of M. Lauras. They were threatened with a 
discharge of grape-shot. * Two of them who, not- 
withstanding the menaces of the democrats, had still 
the courage to persist- were tied during six hours to 
the posts of the guillotine ; their own husbands were 
executed before their eyes, and their blood sprinkled 
over them! 

M. Servan, a lovely young woman of about 18 years 
of age, was executed, because she would not discover 
the retreat of her father ! " What," said she nobly 
to the democratic committee, " what! betray my fa- 
ther ! impious villains ! how dare you suppose it!" 

M. Cochet, a lady equally famed for her beauty 
and her courage, was accused of having put a match 
to a cannon during the siege, and having assisted in 



AND THE SACKED AVKITINGS. 



303 



her husband's escape. She was condemned to suffer 
death. She declared herself with child ; and the 
truth of this declaration was attested by two sur- 
geons. In vain did she implore a respite. In vain 
did she plead the innocence of the child that was in 
her womb. Her head was severed from her body, 
amidst the death-howls of the democratic brigands ! 

To this long account of horrible villainies must be 
added another, if possible, still more detestable — 
libidinous brutality ! Javogues, one of the deputies 
from the Convention, opened the career. His exam- 
ple was followed by the soldiery and the mob in ge- 
neral. The wives and daughters of almost all the 
respectable inhabitants, particularly of such as had 
emigrated, or who were murdered, or in prison, were 
put in a state of requisition, and were ordered, on 
pain of death, to hold their bodies — I spare the reader 
the term made use of in the decree — in readiness for 
the embraces of the true republicans ! Nor were they 
content with violation : the first ladies of the city 
were led to the tree of liberty— of liberty ! and there 
made to take the hands of chimney-sweepers and 
common felons.* 

If to the deeds of blood committed at Lyons we 
add the murders perpetrated in other parts of France 
—at Nantz, 27,000 ; at Paris, 150,000 ; in La Vendee, 
300,000 ; and, in short, through the whole extent of 
that unhappy country, two millions of persons, within 
six or seven years ; among whom are reckoned 
250,000 women ; 230,000 children, besides those mur- 
dered in the womb ; and 24,000 Christian priests ;t 

* The facts here related are taken from Mr. John Phi- 
lips's small pamphlet on the subject, as his is extracted 
from a French treatise, and Peter Porcupine's " Bloody 
Buoy." 

t The serious Christian will remember these are the days 
of vengeance for the innocent blood which was shed in that 
wide-extended kingdom, under the predecessors of the late 
unfortunate king. The doctrine of retaliation, though lit- 



304 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



if, moreover, we consider in what manner the French, 
without just offence, have treated the small inde- 
pendent state of Geneva,* and how many of its most 

tie attended to in general, is an undoubted law o ' God's 
kingdom in the government of the world. A moral gover- 
nor must be morally just. " He that sheddeth man's blood, 
by man shall his blood be shed." Consult Simpson's "Key 
to the Prophecies," for a large number of instances where- 
in the retaliating providence of God is visible to the most 
inattentive observer. Barruel's ''History of the French 
Clergy during the Revolution," and Peter Poncupine's 
" Bloody Buoy," contain an awful counterpart to Claude's 
" Complaints of the Protestants of France." The French 
philosophers have scarcely been more cruel to the clergy of 
France during the Revolution, than the clergy of France, 
at different periods, have been to the Protestants of France. 
We are all crying out against the wickedness and cruelty of 
the p esent governors of that great kingdom, but we forget 
that the kings, bishops, clergy, nobles, and gentry of the | 
land played the same game, and acted the same tragedy, * 
not very many years ago.— It is the Lord's controversy for 
the blood of his servants.— The above two millions is the 
number of persons murdered, besides those who have fallen 
in battle. 

* " Let the mal-contents in every nation of Europe look ! 
to Holland, and at Belgium. Holland was a hive of bees : 
her sons flew on the wings of the wind to every corner of j 
the globe, and returned laden with the sweets of every cli- 
mate. Belgium was a garden of herbs, the oxen were 
strong to labour, the fields were thickly covered with the 
abundance of the harvest. Unhappy Dutchmen ! ye will 
still toil, but not for your own comfort ; ye will still collect 
honey, but not for yourselves ; France will seize the hive 
as often as your industry shall have filled it. Ill-judging 
Belgians! ye will no longer e.it in security the fruits of 
your own grounds ; France will find occasion, or will make 
occasion, to participate largely in your riches; ii will be j 
more truly said of your* h e th ai of your oven —ye plough 
the fields, but not for your own profit." See Bishop Watson's j 
well-timed " Address to the Peoplt ofGreat Britain," for 1 
the above extract. I exceedingly approve of tke spirit of 
the whole, but I much question whethei Mr. Wakefield's 
objections to two particulars may not b< just. viz. the com- , 
parison b tween 200/. a year and 2000/. ; and the similitude | 



I 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 805 

wealthy inhabitants fell a sacrifice to satisfy the rapa- 
city of the deputies from the Convention, we shall 
obtain a pretty clear idea of what we may expect,?if 
J they should succeed in their designs against us. We 
should not only see Bibles and priests removed out 
J of the way, an event, as some affect to think, devoutly 
j to be wished, but the country must undergo every 
J possible calamity. Great Britain and Ireland would 
j become either a province of France, or be divided 
I into two or three small contending republics, like 
Holland, dependent upon them. Our navy* would 

concerning the gradual sinking of the several parts of a 
large structure. Most of the other parts of Mr. Wakefield's 
pamphlet are extremely unworthy of his talents. "VVe may 
now also call the attention of the mal-contents of every 
nation of Europe to the situation of Italy, Rome, Malta, 
Naples, but, above all, to- the brave, yet unoffending Swiss. 

j The learned bishop, however, forgets in his "Address" to 
take into his estimation the state of religion in this country. 

!, In my judgment, the corrupt state of the established reli- 
gion is the grand and original cause of much of our immo- 
rality ; and these two together are the only true and genu- 
ine sources of our national distress. Let us remove out of 
the way every unevangelical stumbling-block, and turn unto 
God in good earnest, and he will soon make our enemies to 
be at peace with us. Could this be done, the throne of the 
king would be as the days of heaven 1 The French Revolu- 
tion is a most amazing and tremendous event, and will pro- 
bably be a means of new modelling the face of Europe, if 
not of the whole world. The extraordinary efforts which 
people are making in the arts and sciences are as vigorous 

, as those they are making in war. The Governor of the 
universe has formed them for great purposes, both df judg- 
ment and mercy ; of judgment to the present race of men ; 
of mercy to the generations that shall follow. This, how- 

j ever, we know, in every event of things, it shall be well 
with them that fear the Lord . 

* In the year 1693, the royal navy of England consisted 
of 111 ships of 40 guns and upwards. In the year 1811 it 
consisted of upwards of 800 ships of war, from the first to 
the sixth rate, besides near 200 sloops. &c. 



306 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



be conveyed into their ports. London,* and all our 
great mercantile towns, would be exhausted of their 

* London is now what Tyre was in ancient times. One 
cannot help entertaining strong apprehensions of its sharing 
the same fate. The trade and riches of it are immensely 
large, and the corruption and iniquity of the place are in 
like proportion. See the account of Tyre in the prophets. 
This metropolis is unparalleled, in extent and opulence, in 
the whole habitable globe, except, perhaps, Pekin, in Chi- 
na, Jeddo, in Japan, and Houssa, in Africa, which are all 
said to be larger. It comprehends, besides London, West- 
minster, and South wark, no less than forty-five villages, of 
considerable extent, independent of a vast accession of 
buildings upon the open fields in the vicinity. Its length is 
nearly eight miles, its breadth three, and its circumference 
twenty-six. It contains above 8000 streets, lanes, alleys, j 
and courts, and more than 05 different squares. Its houses, 
warehouses, and other buildings, make 102,000, besides 246 j 
churches and chapels, 207 meeting-houses for Dissenters, 
43 chapels for foreigners, and 6 synagogues for the Jews, 
which in all make 502 places of public worship. The num- 
ber of inhabitants during the sitting of Parliament is esti- 
mated at 1,250,000. Among these are found about 50,000 , 
common prostitutes, and no less than 60,000 thieves, coin- 
ers, and other bad persons of all descriptions. The annual ! 
depredations on the public, by this numerous body of pil- ! 
fevers, are estimated at the sum of 2,100,000/. sterling. In 
this vast city there are, moreover, upwards of 4000 semina- 
ries for education— 8 institutions for promoting the arts-^r 
122 asylums for the indigent — 17 for the sick and lame— 13 
dispensaries— 704 charitable institutions— 58 courts of jus- 
tice— 7040 professional men connected with the various 
departments of the law. There are 13,300 vessels trading i 
to the river Thames in the course of a year; and 40,000 I 
waggons going and returning to the metropolis in the same 
period, including their repeated voyages. The amount of ! 
exports and imports to and from the Thames is estimated j 
at 66,811,9227. sterling annually; and the property floating 
in this vast city every year is 170,000,000?. sterling. These i 
circumstances may be sufficient to convince us of the ama- 
zing extent and importance of the capital of the British 
empire. See these things detailed more at large in an ex- 
cellent " Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis," by 

Colquhaun, E.-q. And is ail this national opulence and 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



307 



riches.* Our trade would be annihilated , our real 

grandeur to be buried in one general ruin, through the 
transgression and growing depravity of the people 1 

* About the year 1700, the town of Manchester contained 
only one church, and in 1717 the inhabitants were 8000. 
The number of churches and chapels of the establishment 
of Manchester and Salford is now twelve, and about the 
same number of dissenting chapels of various descriptions. 
The inhabitants are between 60,000 and 70,000. In 1700,. 
Liverpool had only 5,145 inhabitants. In 1790, it had 
70,000. In 1709, it had 84 ships; in 1792, it had 584. 
Several other towns in this country are increased nearly in 
the same proportion. O happy England, if thou didst but 
know thy happiness ! The ingratitude and rebellion of the 
country, however, against the laws of the Divine Being must 
terminate in our severe chastisement. The wickedness of 
the inhabitants is inconceivably great. Compare the lives 
of the clergy — the lawyers and attornies — the medical class 
—the soldiery— the sailors — the common people— with the 
Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how alarming the contrast! 
The nobles and gentry of the land, with some few excep- 
tions, are become incurably immoral, as well as irreligious. 
The trading part of the nation are all set upon their gain. 
Serious, uniform, and conscientious godliness, is only found 
among a few solitary individuals. The Sabbath-day is 
fashionably, and very generally, prostituted to secular pur- 
poses. The public worship of Almighty God is grievously 
neglected by all ranks of men. The Sacrament of the 
Lord's Supper is very thinly attended, and this only occa- 
sionally, and not as a serious duty and privilege. In short, 
the signs of the times are such as to give the most serious 
apprehension to every well-wisher to his king and country. 
In London there are, I believe, near a million of souls, in- 
cluding children, who seldom or never attend public wor- 
ship under any denomination ! Manchester contains near 
70,000 inhabitants, and between 40 and 50,000 of them ab- 
sent themselves totally from every place of public worship 
on the sabbath-day ! Birmingham is said to contain about 
70,000 inhabitants. There are five churches, and fourteen 
meeting-houses of different descriptions. It is supposed 
that not more than 5,000 persons attend any place of public 
worship on any one day ; not more than 10,000 attend any 
public worship at all ; so that there are 60,000 souls in that 
town who may be said not to have any religion at all ; that 
u 2 



308 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



estates change masters ;* our personal property t be 
swept into France our poor would languish and die 

is, about one in seven, or seven to one. This is a very 
affecting consideration. Macclesfield and its environs con- 
tain 9 or 10,000 people. We have two churches and five 
meeting-houses. Not more, however, than 3000 of the 
9000 attend public worship, in all the places put together. 
So that there are 6000 souls, including children, who may- 
be considered infidels in principle or practice, or both, the 
same children being exempt from the charge. 

* In 1700, England had 2281 trading vessels, carrying 
261,222 tons burthen. In 1792, England had 10,423 vessels, 
carrying 1,168,568 tons. In 1692, Scotland had 8618 tons 
of shipping. In 1792, Scotland had 2143 ships, carrying 
162,274 tons. In 1793, the trading vessels of the British 
dominions were 16,329, manned with 118,952 sailors, and 
carrying 1,464,520 tons. History furnishes us with nothing 
equal to this account. 

+ The quantity of land cultivated in England and Wales 
is about 32,000,000 of acres. The gross produce of the same 
is about 73,000,000 pounds sterling annually ; and the neat 
rental about 24,000,000. The average annual gross produce 
of the kingdom, arising from land and animals, stands 
nearly according to the following estimate : — 

£. 

Ten millions of acres of wheat, rye, &c. at 41. 

per acre 40,00,0000 

Four millions of acres of hay, clover, &c. at 50s. 

per ditto 10,000,000 

Eight thousand tons of hops, at 50Z. per ton 400,000 

One million of beeves fattening 20 weeks, at 18d. 

per week 1,500,000 

Five millions of sheep fattening 13 weeks, at 6d. 

per week 1,950,000 

Two millions of milch cows, 40 weeks milk, at 

25. 6d. per week 8,050,000 

Wool 3,200,000 

Ten millions of lambs when weaned, at 55. per 

lamb 2,500,000 

Two millions of calves, at 205. per calf 2,000,000 

Four millions of pigs, at 5s. per pig 1,000,000 

Fruit and vegetables for 8,000,000 of people .... 4,000,000 

Poultry, eggs, &c. &c. &c. 

£75,100,000 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



309 



in the streets for want of bread, none having it in 
their power to relieve them.* We should be involved 
in all the miseries that human nature, in a civilized 
state, is capable of undergoing. And from being 
one of tire first, most powerful, and happy nations 
upon the face of the earth, we should become oae of 
the lowest, weakest, and the most wretched king- 
doms in Europe. And could any man, for the sake 
of ridding the country uf those bugbears — the Bible 
and the priests,— wish to see all that is evil come 
upon us? 

It is a melancholy reflection, that among all the 
clergy in this country, there were not quite two hun- 
dred who sacrificed their interest to principle in the 
reign of Queen Elizabeth. See Gray's Sermons at 
the Bainpton Lecture, p. 238. In Charles the Se- 
cond's time, there were upwards of 2000 clergymen 
who sacrificed their interest to principle, besides a 
considerable number of conscientious men, it is pre- 
sumed, who continued in their places. 

Bigotry and persecution generally defeated their 
own purpose ! What a consequence did not this mad 
measure give to the dissenting interest of England? 
The same foolish game was played by the bishops 
and clergy in the present century. Instead of en- 
couraging, moderating, and regulating the pious zeal 
of a few young men in Oxford, by gentle and lenient 
measures, they shut their churches against them, 
and compelled them to go out into the highways and 
hedges to preach to those who Ave re inclined to hear 
them ; and though they were but a small band, they 

* The public and private charities of London amount to 
750,0007. annually ; and the poor-rates of England and 
Wales altogether make the enormous sum of 2,200,0002. 
a-year, besides all charities and private Sunday-shools. 
Arthur Young, Esq. tells us, in his Letter to Mr." Wilber- 
force, that the amount of what is paid for labour of all 
sorts in England is not less than one hundred millions 
sterling— poor-rates and charities of every sort cannot 
amount to less than seven millions, 



310 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



are now become a goodly company, and have already 
overspread England, Scotland, Ireland, xlmerica, and 
the West Indies. All this weight, too, is thrown 
into the dissenting scale ! A few more such impru- 
dent measures, and down goes Mother Church ! 

We have spoken in a former page on pluralities 
and non-residence. The former, indeed, in all ordi- 
nary cases, implies the latter. We scarce ever read 
an account of deaths in the periodical publications, 
but we find an account of one or more instances of 
this nature. The poet Mason is a point in hand. 
Though a worthy man, and a character highly re- 
spectable, he had, it appears, accumulated several 
preferments in the church at the same time. And it 
is well known to be the custom of great numbers of 
the clergy in the establishment to procure as many 
as their interest will reach. This we call good ma- 
nagement, prudent foresight, taking care for a fa- 
mily, and the like. If there is no God, it is all very 
well. But if we are accountable creatures, and are 
to exist in a future state, our present trading in liv- 
ings and souls will not yield us satisfaction another 
day. It is popery, rank popery, the worst part of 
popery, under the highest pretensions to being the 
most pure and reformed part of Christ's holy Catho- 
lic church. I remember an anecdote apposite to the 
subject in hand. Bishop Burnet, in his Charges to 
the Clergy of his Diocese, showed a great deal of 
disinterested integrity, by vehemently exclaiming 
against pluralities as a most sacrilegious robbery. 
And, in his first visitation at Salisbury, he urged the 
authority of St. Bernard, who, being consulted by 
one of his followers whether he might accept two 
benefices, replied, " And how will you be able to 
serve them both?" — " I intend,' 4 answered the priest, 
" to officiate in one of them by a deputy." — " Will 
your deputy be damned for you/too V* cried the saint. 
" Believe me, you may serve your cure by proxy, 
but you must be damned in person." This expres- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



511 



sion so affected Mr. Kelsey, a pious and worthy 
clergyman then present, that he immediately re- 
signed the rectory of Bemerton, in Berkshire, worth 
200Z. a year, which he held with one of greater value. 
I See Bishop Burnet's Life, by T. Burnet, Esq. 
| We have observed, that'all the bulk of church- 
preferment in this country is engrossed by about one 
I thousand clergymen out of the eighteen thousand. 
I I do not pretend to be accurate in this statement ; 
' but I should suppose it not far from the truth. 
Whereas the emoluments of the Establishment are 
capable of providing for 10,CK0 persons in a comfort- 
able way, by abolishing pluralities without disturbing 
the present order of things. Let every bishop retire 
within his own diocese, and dwell among his clergy, 
as a father in his family. Let every clergyman re- 
side upon his living, superintending his people as a 
| shepherd his flock. And let no man be promoted to 
the first livings in the kingdom, merely because he is 
related to or connected with some great personage, 
but let the most active, useful, and laborious minis- 
ters, especially when the infirmities of age come on, 
be accounted worthy of double honour, by being re- 
warded for their extraordinary services with the best 
livings which the country uffords. 

All this, I too well know, is visionary. It is a 
plausible theory, but will never be reduced to prac- 
tice. If it should please God, however, to put an end 
to the present unhappy war, and favour us once more 
with a settled state of things, I think it might be well 
for the great body of the poor rectors, vicars, and cu- 
rates of the country, to petition government to take 
their distressed circumstances into consideration. 
If it should have no other effect, it would call the 
attention of the public to the horrible monopolies of 
preferments which prevail among the bishops and 
the higher orders of the clergy. I would recommend 
that committees should be formed in every district 
through England and Wales, to correspond with a 



312 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



grand superintending committee in London. Let 
them investigate the business of church-preferments 
thoroughly, and drag to broad day-light all the great i 
offenders in this pretended spiritual commerce. See 
a book called the " Miseries and Hardships of the 
Inferior Clergy," for some useful information. 

Out of the 18,000 clergymen belonging to the esta- 
blishment of this country, thereare several hundreds 
of zealous and lively men (and the number is much 
upon the increase), who, properly speaking, are the i 
only true members of the church of England. They 
believe, and preach, and live her doctrines. These 
conscientious men, however, are, as we have already - 
observed, almost universally dubbed Methodists, in 
a way of contempt, by the majority, both of bishops 
and clergy. This is shameful' treatment, but so it is. 
"Those downy doctors, that recumbent virtues 
preach," who will swear any thing, and subscribe 
any thing, no matter whether they believe it or not, 
for the sake of a good bishopric, or fat rectory, are 
among the first to exclaim against their more zea- 
lous, useful, and pious brethren. Master, so saying, ! 
and so doing, thou condemnest us. " Woe unto you, 
ye scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye T shut the 
kingdom of heaven against men ; for ye neither go in 
yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering 
to go in !" See Ez. xxxiv. 

" When nations are to perish in their sins, 
"lis in the church the leprosy begins." 



" The priestly brotherhood, devout, sincere, 
From mean self-interest and ambition clear, 
Their hope in heav'n, servility their scorn, 
Prompt to persuade, expostulate, and •warn, 
Their wisdom pure, and giv'n them from above, 
Their usefulness insur'd, by zeal and love, 
As meek as the man Moses, and withal 
As bold as in Agrippa's presence Paul, 
Should fly the world's contaminating touch, 
Holy and unpolluted — are thine such 1 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 313 

Except a few with Eli's spirit blest, 
Hophni and Phineas may describe the rest." 

Comperes Expostulation. 

As a body of men, the established clergy of this 
j country are by no means deficient in talents, or in 
| learning of any description. So far is this from being 
|| the case, that it is probable there never existed a 
|! body of men of the same number, who possessed equal 
j natural and acquired qualifications; but we are de- 
I ficient in humanity, in self-denial, in piety, and in 
| zeal for the honour of God and the salvation of souls. 
We want a more serious attention to the grand pe- 
culiarities of the Gospel ; we are deficient in various 
of those qualifications which are requisite to make us 
successful in winning souls to Christ. To our shame 
be it spoken, with half our literary attainments, we 
suffer the Methodists, and several of the Dissenters, 
I to outdo us exceedingly in real and positive useful- 
I ness to mankind. We let the cause of Christ suffer 

I and lose ground in our hands. A large party of our 

II order is inattentive both to religious and literary pur- 
suits. They are mere men of the world. Another 

j part is so occupied with literary and philosophical 
studies, that they have neither time nor inclination 
to attend to the peculiar employment of ministers of 
the Gospel. There is a third class of our clergy, 
which is highly respectable, but whose ministerial 
labours are so cool and languid, and whose public 
discourses are so merely moral, and so wholly unevan- 
i gelical, that mankind are made neither much wiser 
\ nor better by their feeble exertions. In the primitive 
j j ages the divine heralds carried the sound of the Gos- 
\ pel throughout all lands, from " the British isles to 
I the banks of the Ganges," in a very short space of 
j time. But we have suffered Heathenism to return 
i again into some countries, Mahometanism to over- 
run others, and Infidelity to diffuse itself among all 
1 I orders of society. And it is not improbable but in 
the course of a few more years the Gospel of Christ* 



314 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

. Y " -|| 

through our neglect, lukewarm n ess, and su- \ 
perstition, will be in a great degree banished from i 
Christendom. We must either awake from our le- !< 
thargic state, and return to evangelical principles j 
and practices, or all is lost. Most of the higher [ 
ranks of society in this country, both among- the \ 
clergy and laity, have forsaken the Gospel scheme | 
of saving a ruined world ; and it is exceedingly pro- ] 
bable the supreme Head of the church will ere long ) 
remove our candlestick, lay aside the great body of 
us parsons, as a useless set of men, and deprive us of 
those means of grace which we have so long enjoyed 
to so little purpose. The neglect of the Son and 
Spirit of God is the master sin of Christendom. 

I could wish the reader would give himself the 
trouble to consider w r ell what Mr. Wilberforce has i 
written upon this subject, in his Ci Practical View of ! 
the prevailing Religious System of Professed Chris- I 
tians, in the Higher and Middle Classes in this Coun- 
try, contrasted with real Christianity." If we had a 
number of such able and faithful labourers in the 
cause of Christianity among the laity, much good 
might be expected to result from their endeavours. 
In my opinion, men of this description are peculiarly 
called upon in the present day, when Infidelity is 
making such rapid advances, and the clergy are in 
such disgrace, to exert themselves in every possible | 
way to stem the torrent of iniquity, which is ready 
to bear all down before it. See some useful thoughts 
on the necessity of new measures, in the Dean of 
Middleham's " Political and Moral Consequences of 
a Religious Education, and its Reverse." 

If any person approves not of religion and its mi- 
nisters, he is at perfect liberty, in this free country, 
to decline paying them any attention. He may think 
and act according to his own pleasure. Why then 
should any man desire to see his native land involved 
in a destruction so complete, as that of getting rid of 
the Bible and the priests? Be assured whene\er 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



315 



it comes, it will be promiscuous. The generation 
then living will be in every temporal sense at least, 
I totally ruined ; and no man shall be able to extricate 
. himself from the general calamity. In that case, and 
I indeed in every other possible case, the Gospel of 
I Christ affords the only sure refuge. It is calculated 
j for both worlds. " The. Lord God is a sun and shield , 
the Lord will give grace and glory : no good thing 
I will be withheld from them that' walk uprightly." 
Those that live in the entire spirit, and under the 
full influence of this divine religion, have, even now, 
jj large enjoyments of its comforts.* And whether we 

* Turn back, and consider well the cases of Lord Russel, 
Morata, Claude, Walker, Hervey, Leland, Romaine, Bedell, 
and Leechman. Instead of this small number, we could 
have produced some hundreds of characters of a like happy 
I kind, if it had been consistent with our design. Bishop 
l Burnet's declaration alone we will here transcribe, as he 
I was a man of piety, and of large experience of men and 
i things, and because he delivers it as his last dying speech, 
and the sum of all his experience :— " True religion," says 
he, " is the perfection of human nature, and the joy and de- 
light of every one that feels it active and strong within 
him. Of this I write with the more concern and emotion, 
because I have felt this to be true, and indeed the only joy 
which runs through a man's heart and life. It is that which 
has been for many years my greatest support. I rejoice 
daily in it. I feel from it the earnest of that supreme joy, 
which I pant and long for. I am sure there is nothing else 
can afford any true or complete happiness. I have, consi- 
dering my sphere, seen a great deal of all that is most 
shining and tempting in this world. The pleasures of sense 
I did soon nauseate. Intrigues of state, and the conduct 
of affairs, have something in them that is more specious, 
and I was for some years deeply immersed in them, but 
still with hopes of reforming the world, and makimr man- 
kind wiser and better. But I have found, 'That which is 
crooked cannot be made straight.' I acquainted myself 
with knowledge and learning-, and that in great variety. 
This yielded not happiness. I cultivated friendship. — But 
this also I have found, was vanity and vexation of spirit, 
though it be of the best and noblest sort. The sum is, 



i 



I 



315 A PLEA FOR RELIGION" 

y ti 

are cut off according to the common course of things, « b 
or hurried out of the world by the violence of wicked j t 
men, still we are fully persuaded it shall be well. [ \ 
They may destroy but they cannot hurt us. They a 
will only send us to our incorruptible, undefiled, and 
unfading inheritance a little before the time allotted i 
by the course of nature. |' 
You see then, my friends and countrymen, it is our j 
firm determination to adhere to the Bible, and the , : . 
truths therein contained, at the risk of every thing T 
that is held dear among men. We have counted the u 
cost, and hesitate not a moment in saying, It is " our 
glory and joy; dearer to us than thousands of gold 
and silver." jj 

<c I swear, and from my solemn oath 

Will never start, aside, 
That, in God's righteous judgments I 

Will steadfastly abide. 
The world's contempt of his commands 

Bat makes their value rise 
In my esteem, who purest sold 

Compar'd with them despise." 

Sincerely pitying, therefore, and ardently praying 
for, the whole generation of those unhappy persons b 
among- our countrymen, who " have forsaken the \ 
only Fountain of living waters, and hewn out to 
themselves broken cisterns that can hold no water," [ 
with the great Lord Bacon we declare, "There never \ 
was found in any age of the world, either philosophy, | 
sect, or religion, or law, or discipline, which did so \ 
highly exalt the public good as the Christian faith." 
With Sir Thomas Brown "We assume the honour- I 
able style of Christian not because it is the religion 
of our country, but because having, in ourriper years p 
and confirmed judgment, seen and examined all, we i 
find ourselves obliged, by the principles of grace, and £ 

' Vanity of vanities, all is vanity,' besides fearing God, and t 
keeping his commandments." — See the Conclusion of the II 
History of his Onm Times. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 317 

the law of our own reason, to embrace no other name 
but this, being of the same belief which our Savour 
taught, the apostles disseminated, the fathers autho- 
rised, and the martyr confirmed." With the noble 
I Picus Mirandula, we rest in the Bible " as the only 
! book, wherein is found true eloquence and wisdom." 
j With Dr. RoMnson, the natural philosopher, we say, 
! " The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament con- 
. tain a system of human nature, the grandest, the most 
' extensive and complete, that ever was divulged to 
j mankind since the foundation of nature." With the 
excellent physician and philosopher, Dr. Grew, we 
profess, that "The Bible contains the laws of God's 
kingdom in this lower world, and that religion is so 
far from being inconsistent with philosophy, that it 
is the highest point and perfection of it." With the 
no less excellent physician and philosopher, Dr. David 
i Hartley, we say, that " No writers, from the invention 
;] of letters to the present times, are equal to the pen- 
men of the books of the Old and New Testaments, in 
< true excellence, utility, and dignity." With the very 
celebrated French poet, Boileau,we say, " Every word 
and syllable of the Bible ought to be adored : it not 
only cannot be enough admired, but it cannot be too 
much admired." With the very pious and excellent 
Sir Matthew Hale, we are clearly of opinion, "There 
is no book like the Bible for excellent learning, wis- 
dom, and use." With the celebrated Boyle, we con- 
sider it as " ja matchless volume," and believe that 
" it is impossible we can study it too much, or esteem 
it too highly."* With the incomparable Newton, 

* This great philosopher says, " Deists must, to maintain 
their negative creed, swallow greater improbabilities than 
Christians to maintain the positive creed of the Apostles. 
And they must think it fitter to believe, that chance, or 
nature, or superstition, should perform wonderful and 
hardly credible things, than that the great author of nature, 
God, should be able to do so." — Works, vol. v. p. 661. 
John, Earl of Orrery, relation to the above Mr. Robert 



313 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

" We account the Scriptures of God to be the most 
sublime philosophy." With Milton we are of opinion, 
" There are no songs comparable to the songs of Sion, 
no orations equal to those of the prophets, and no ! 
politics like those which the Scriptures teach." With | 
Rousseau, every ingenious man may say, " I must 
confess to you, that the majesty of the Scriptures | 
astonishes me, and the holiness of the Evangelists! 
speaks to my heart, and has such strong and striking 
characters of truth, and is moreover so perfectly in- | 
imitable, that if it had been the invention of men, the 
inventors would be greater than the greatest heroes." ) 
With the justly renowned Selden before mentioned, ; 
after having taken a deliberate survey of all the learn- j 
ing among the ancients, we solemnly profess, " There j 
is no book" in the universe " upon which we can rest 
our souls, in a dying moment, but the Bible." And 
we therefore boldly declare, before the face of all the | 
unbelieving and disobedient world, in the words of, 
the immortal Chillingworth, "Propose to me any- 
thing out of the Bible, and require whether I believe, 
it or not; and seem it never so incomprehensible toj j 
human reason, I will subscribe it with hand ami 
heart; as knowing no demonstration canbe stronger: : 
than this — God hath said so, therefore it is true." 1 
And may we not, finally, exhort and admonish the { 
sceptical reader in the glowing language of the sc- 1 
raphic Young ?— 

" Retire, and read thy Bible, to be gay, 
There truths abound of sovereign aid to peace; 
Ah ! do not prize them less, because inspir'd, 
As thou, and thine, are apt and proud to do. 
If not inspir'd, that pregnant page hath stood 
Time's treasure! and the wonder of the wise !" 

Boyle, is also said to have been a lover of truth, even toi j 
adoration. ** He was," .says the writer of his life, *' a real 
Christian, and, as such, he used to say, he constantly hoped 
for a better life, there trusting to know the real causes of> 
those effects, which here struck him with wonder, but notji 
with doubt," ] 



AND THE SACRED WHITINGS. 



3D 



After these declarations, the warmth of which may 
seera to need some apology, you cannot wonder, O ! 
my countrymen, if we should treat all your stale cavils, 
which have been a hundred times repeated, and a 
thousand times confuted, with the contempt they de- 
serve, and say with the royal Psalmist (no favourite 
of your's by the bye, but whom we believers esteem 
one of the bravest of warriors, sublimest of poets, 
greatest of prophets, most seraphic of musicians, and 
worthiest of men). " The law of the Lord is perfect, 
converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is 
sure, making wise the simple : the statutes of the 
Lord are right, rejoicing the heart : the command- 
ment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes: the 
fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the 
judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altoge- 
ther, more to be desired are they than gold, yea than 
much fine gold : sweeter also than honey, and the 
choice droppings of the honey-comb."* 

You will excuse the freedom of this address, and 

* Other great kings have been of the same mind. Robert, 
King of Sicily, declares himself, " The Holy Books are 
dearer to me than my kingdom ; and were I under any 
necessity of quitting one, it should be my diadem." And 
even the haughty Louis XIV. " sometimes read his Bible, 
and was of opinion it is the finest of all books." It is re- 
corded of our Edward VI., that, upon a certain occasion, a 
paper which was called for in the council-chamber hap- 
pened to be out of reach: the person concerned to produce 
it took a Bible that lay by, and, standing upon it, reached 
down the paper. The king, observing what was done, ran 
himself to the place, and, taking the Bible in his hands, 
kissed it, and laid it up again. This circumstance, though 
trifling in itself, implies in his Majesty great, reverence for, 
and much affection to that best of books. More lately 
still, " William i II., king of England, not only believed the 
truth of the Christian religion very firmly, but was most 
! exemplary decent and devout in the public exercises of the 
J worship of God. He was an attentive hearer of sermons, 
and was constant in his private prayers, and in reading the 
Scriptures,"— Burnet's Own Tunes, vol. v. p, 71. 



320 



A i'LEA FOR RELIGIOX 



be assured it proceeds from a heart deeply concerned 
for the welfare of his fellow men. We wish to be 
happy ourselves, and we wish you to be partakers of 
the same felicity. Many of you are endowed with 
talents of no mean account. We lament the misap- 
plication of them. Are your spirits perfectly at rest 
in your present state of mind ? And do you feel satis- 
fied with your future prospects ? Give, me leave to 
answer for you, and be not offended if I say, " Xo! 
far from it ! My lusts and passions led inecaptive ! 
I am a slave to evil desires ! Of the proper fear of 
God, which effectually restraineth from sin, I know 
but little ! — To the genuine love of God I am an 
utter stranger ; I scarcely know what it means ! — 
The favour of God I have no reason to expect, in my 
present state of moral attainments, be the Bible true 
or be it false ? — With all my pretensions to virtue, 
in my coolest moments, I feel condemned in my own 
conscience ! — ' That which I do, I allow not*; but 
what I would, that do I not ; for what I hate, that 
do I.'" 

" My reason this, my passion that persuades ; 

I see the right, and I approve it too ; 

Condemn the wrong, and yet the wrong pursue." 
Dr. Doddridge, in his " Life of Colonel Gardiner," 
informs us, " Than his fine constitution, than which, 
perhaps, there hardly ever was a better, gave him 
great opportunities of indulging himself in excess; 
and his good spirits enabled him to pursue his plea- 
sures of every kind in so alert and sprightly a man- 
ner, that multitudes envied him, and called him, by 
a dreadful kind of compliment, 1 The Happy Rake? 
Yet still the checks of conscience, and some remain- 
ing principles of so good an education as he had re- 
ceived, would break in upon his most licentious 
hours : and I particularly remember he told me, that 
when some of his dissolute companions were once 
congratulating him on his distinguished felicity, a 
dog happening at that time to come into the room. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



321 



he could not forbear groaning inwardly, and saying 
to himself, ' Oh that I were a dog \' Such was then 
his happiness ! and such perhaps is that of hundreds 
more, who bear themselves highest in the contempt 
of religion, and glory in that infamous servitude 
which they call liberty." 

Reader ! how is it with you in this respect? Trust 
a prophet and a priest for once — " The wicked are 
like the troubled sea, which cannot rest, whose wa- 
ters cast up mire and dirt." — '"There is no peace, 
saith my God, to the wicked." 

O wretched man that I am!— who shall deliver 
me from the " unhappiness I frequently feel, and the 
misery I have too much reason to fear?— I would 
gladly be a thorough-paced unbeliever ; but, for the 
life of me, I cannot get clear of the terror of death, 
the apprehension of a future reckoning, and an un- 
accountable foreboding of something terrible to 
come !" 

]N r o, my countrymen ! nor will you ever find either 
solid consolation in life, or a just confidence in the 
hour of death, till you shake off the chains of those 
sins, which have well nigh led you into the gulph of 
perdition, and obtain redemption in the blood of that 
Saviour, of whom, in your present state of mind, 
you make so little account. 

Solomon, you know, has the honour of being repu- 
ted the wisest of men. But, notwithstanding his 
extraordinary wisdom, he was, for many years at 
least, guilty of extreme folly. He sought for happi- 
ness in the gratification of the body, its appetites and 
passions, to the neglect of God, and religion, and the 
care of his immortal part; but substantial happiness 
could nowhere be found. He ran through the whole 
circle of worldly and sensual pleasures ; happiness, 
however, and ease of mind still fled before him, and 
eluded his pursuits. And after having made a large 
number of experiments for a long season, and to no 
manner of purpose, he stops and looks back upon 
x 



322 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



what he had been doing, and the book of Ecclesias- 
tes contains his experience. Wishing to warn his j 
fellow-creatures against the mistakes which he him- i 
self had committed in life, he turns preacher, and , 
gives us a sermon upon the insufficiency of worldly \ 
things to make us happy. The text of the discourse 
seems to be, "Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities j 
all is vanity." 

He begins his sermon by showing, that all human 
courses and pursuits are vain, and do not yield full 
satisfaction to the mind. " All things," says he, 
" are full of labour ; man cannot utter it ; the eye is 
not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with 
hearing." 

From this general assertion the royal preacher 
proceeds to show, that wisdom, and knowledge, and j 
learning, could not make him happy. 

" I, the preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusa- ' 
lem ; and I gave my heart to seek and search out by 
wisdom concerning all things that are done under 
heaven : this sore travail hath God given to the sons j 
of men to be exercised therewith. I have seen all 
the works that are done under the sun : and, behold, | 
all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is j 
crooked cannot be made straight ; and that which 
is wanting cannot be numbered. I communed with j 
my own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great es- 
tate, and have gotten more wisdom than "all they | 
that have been before me in Jerusalem : yet my i 
heart had great experience of wisdom and know- ; 
ledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and | 
to know madness and folly : I perceived that this is j 
vexation of spirit." 

Not finding rest for his soul in the pursuits of 
knowledge and learning, the wise man deserts them 
to try if the pleasures of drinking, planting, build- 
ing, music, and dancing, could make him happy, and 
afford him that satisfaction which he had hitherto \ 
sought for in vain. " I said in mine heart, go to | 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



323 



! now, I will prove thee with mirth : therefore enjoy 
| pleasure; and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of 
laughter, It is mad : and of mirth, What doeth it? 
I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet 
j acquainted my heart with wisdom, and to lay hold 
J on folly, till I might see what was that good for the 
i sons of men which they should do under the heaven 
I all the days of their life. I made me great works ; 
' I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I 
j made me gardens and orchards, and planted trees in 
them of all kinds of fruits ; I made me pools of wa- 
ter, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth 
trees ; I got me servants and maidens, and had ser- 
vants born in my house ; also I had great possessions 
of great and small cattle, above all that were in Je- 
rusalem before me ; I gathered me also silver and 
| gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the 
| provinces ; I gat me men-singers and women-sing- 
ers; and the delights of the sons of men, as musical 
j instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, 
and increased more than all that were before me in 
Jerusalem : also my wisdom remaineth with me. 
And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from 
i them : I withheld not my heart from any joy ; for 
my heart rejoiced in all my labour ; and this was 
my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all 
the works that my hands had wrought, and on the 
labour that I had laboured to do; and, behold, all 
i was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no 
' profit under the sun.*' 

After making many other observations upon hu- 
man life, and human pursuits, and showing how ut- 
terly insufficient they are all to constitute any of us 
truly easy, content, and happy, the royal preacher 
finishes his excellent sermon by pointing out, in a 
few words, what is the state, the duty, and the true 
interest of man :— " Let us hear the conclusion of the 
whole matter : Fear God, and keep his command- 
ments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God 



324 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



shall bring every work into judgment, with every 
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be i 
evil." 

This is the sum of Solomon's experience and j 
knowledge of men and things; and this is the expe- 
rience of all the world. Religion is always our last 
resource. We must come to it one time or other, or 
we are undone for ever, and had better never have 
been born. Nothing can supply its place. The fear, 
the love, the service of God, can alone make us 
happy. All other things, all other pursuits, all other 
pleasures, all other enjoyments, leave us restless, I 
uneasy, discontent, unhappy, J 
"The soul uneasy, and confin'd from home, 
Rests and expatiates in a world to come." 
If, to this scriptural sketch, we were disposed to fa 
add still more instances from among our own coun- | 
tr3 T men, of religious wisdom, amidst all the honours, ! 
luxury, and hurry of public station, we might ob- 
serve that Lord Chancellor Parker, Earl of Maccles- j 
field, and William Pultney, Earl of Bath, devoted \\ 
many of their leisure hours to prayer, reading, and i 
studying the Bible, and afterwards "died with a } 
hope full of immortality." 

I might call your attention here, likewise, to a 
character much more splendid in life, but much less 
honourable in death. You recollect the extorted 
and affecting declaration of the degraded, and almost j 
expiring, Cardinal : — 

" Had I but serv'd my God with half the zeal 
I serv'd my king, he would not in mine age 
Have left me naked to mine enemies." 

i 

Take warning by these examples, my country- 
men : and if by any means y ou have been led astray 
from the paths of virtue and religion, be sensible of 
your folly, and turn back with all speed into the way 
of piety.* It may be old-fashioned, but it is safe and 
honourable. " Keep innocency in future, and take 
heed to the thing that is right, for that alone will 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



325 



bring a man to peace at the last." If you make ten 
thousand efforts to find rest for your mind in any 
other way, they will all disappoint you. This is the 
experience of the whole world. And is it not your 
experience also ? 

" What nothing earthly gives, or can destroy, 
The soul's calm sunshine, and the heart-felt joy, 
Is Virtue's prize." 

i Reflect upon the workings of your own hearts, in 
the different periods and circumstances of life, and 

I say what your feelings have been. Was it not bet- 
ter with you, when you were humble minded, and 

I went after the commandments delivered by the 
Lord, than it is now? Making allowance for the 
difference of station, may you not say with the cele- 
brated Madame de Maintenon :— " Oh ! that I could 
give you all my experience ; that I could show you 

) the heaviness which preys upon the spirits of the 

, great,* and how hard they will find it to put out 
their days ! Don't you see that I pine away with 

; melancholy in the midst of a fortune, that one could 
hardly have imagined, and which nothing but God's 
assistance keeps me from sinking under it?— I pro- 

i test to you, that all stations leave a frightful void, 
an uneasiness, a weariness, a desire to know some- 

I thing else, because in all worldly attainments there 

I is nothing which gives full satisfaction. We find no 
rest till we have given ourselves to God. Then we 
find that there is nothing farther to be sought ; that 
we have attained to that, which is the only good 

i thing in this world. We meet with vexations, but 
we have at the same time solid consolation and peace 

* An anecdote to this purpose occurs to my mind, con- 
cerning one of our present noblemen, who, being in con- 
versation with a certain gentleman, said, " Oh, how weary 
am I of this d— d attendance upon court ! Had Providence 
cast my lot among peasants, I had been a happy man," 
" Beware what earth calls happiness ; beware 
All joys, but joys that never can expire. " 



I 



320 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

of heart in the midst of the greatest afflictions."* If < 
this, or any thing like this, be your experience, why ! 
will you aDy longer "spend your money for that | 
which is not bread, and your labour for that which j 
satisfieth not V I 

" In vain we seek a heaven below the sky ; 

The world has false, but flatt i-ing charms ; 

Its distant joys show big in our esteem, 

But lessen still as they draw near the eye ; 

In our embrace the visions die, 

And, when we grasp the airy forms, 

We lose the pleasing dream." 

Bat the grand objects which religion holds forth t 
to our acceptance are adequate to the largest desires « 
of the human mind. They are calculated as well for [ 
the present as the future world. We may be as \ 
happy here, in spite of all the ills of life, as is for our l 
real good, and hereafter our happiness shall know [ 
neither measure nor end. Be not like the people 
described by the weeping prophet : — " Thus saith 
the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for | 
the old paths, where is the good way, and walk j 
therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." — | 
" But they said, We will not walk therein." — " Also j 
I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the 1 
sound of the trumpet." — " But they said, We will - 
not hearken." 

Laugh not at this simple relation, neither despise 
the warning given. Stop, rather, for one moment, 
and consider upon what foundation you are building I 
your future expectations. Though you reject Chris- 
tianity, I should hope you are not so far gone as to ! 
disbelieve in a state of future rewards and punish- j 
ments, of some kind or other. t Your master, Thomas 

I 

% Letters of Madame de Main tenon, and other eminent 
persons. 

+ For the natural and philosophical arguments in favour 
of a future state, see Bishop Butler's " Analogy," part I. j 
Bishop Porteua has brought them into a very striking point | 



AND THE SACRED WHITINGS. 



327 



i Paine, and, indeed, most other Deists, profess thus 
j much, at least. Take, then, into your serious con- 
| sideration, whether you think your actions, tempers, 
1 and state of mind, such as will, upon your own prin- 
| ciples, stand the test at the great day of account. 
|j It can do you no great harm to reflect upon your 
|| condition, to be serious for a season, and to suspect 
! you may be wrong. Consider, that you differ essen- 
j tially from some of the greatest and best men that 
ever lived. You stake your eternal all upon the 
; justness — Of what? — Your opinion : — an opinion, in 
confut ation of which multitudes have sacrificed their 
lives, and which many of the first characters now 
upon earth would controvert with the lasi drop of 
their blood ! This would stagger your confidence. 
Myriads of the most learned and moral persons of all 
ranks and degrees, and of ail sects and denominations, 
| would this moment barn at a stake in confirmation 
I of the truth of the Bible, and the divine mission of 
; Jesus Christ. Are they all deceived? Are you the 
i only wise men upon earth ? And would you this 
moment burn at the stake in proof of Christ being an 
impostor? Nothing, surely bat the most palpable 
demonstration in favour of Infidelity should suffer you 
to sleep one night more in your present state of scep- 
i ticism and unbelief. If you are mistaken, sirs! — 
[ should you be mistaken ! — the very possibility is 
enough to overwhelm the human mind ! 

Everlasting existence in misery ! — Under the frown 
I and displeasure of the best Being in the universe, 
S without end !— Debarred of light, and the society of 
happy spirits !— The associates of lost souls, and mi- 
serable angels, through endless ages!— " The lake 

of view in three discourses on the subject in the first vo- 
lume of his Sermons. Dr. Craven, too, Professor of Arabic, 
and Master of St. John's College, Cambridge, has published 
eight discourses on the evidence of a future state of rewards 
and punishments, which are worth the attention of all who 
have any doubt. 



t 



328 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

; 

which burnetii with fire and brimstone !" — " The worm 1 
that never dies!" — "The fire that never shall be 
quenched !'' — " Everlasting punishment !"— " Eternal I 
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from 
the glory of his power ! 

" My hopes and fears 
Start up alarm'd, and o'er life's narrow verge 
Look down — on what? A fathomless abyss — 
A dread eternity ! how surely mine !" 

" Ah ! could I (to use the words of a great author) 
represent to you the different states of good and bad 
men; could i give you theprospectwhich the blessed 1 
martyr St. Stephen had, and shew you the blessed r 
Jesus at the right hand of God, surrounded with an- 

fels, and ' the spirits of just men made perfect f could P 
open your ears to hear the never ceasing of hymns of \ \ 
praise, which the blessed above '• sing to him that was, 
and is, and is to come; to the Lamb that was slain, j 
but liveth for ever f could I lead you through the 
unbounded regions of eternal day, and show the J 
mutual and ever-blooming joys of saints who are at ' 
rest from their labours, and live for ever in the pre- 
sence of God ! or, could I change the scene, and un- 
bar the iron gates of hell, and carry you, through 
solid darkness, c to the fire that never goes out/ and : 
to 6 the worm that never dies could I show you the I 
apostate angels fast bound in eternal chains, or the ; 
souls of wicked men overwhelmed with torment and I 
despair; could I open your ears to hear the deep < 
itself groan with the continual cries of misery ; cries | 
which can never reach the throne of mercy, but re- j 
turn in sad echoes, and add even to the very horrors 1 
of hell! could I thus set before you the different ends 
of religion and infidelity, you would want no other 
proof to convince you, that nothing can recompense 
the hazard men run of being for ever miserable 
through unbelief." 
We too well know you will make yourselves merry 1 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 329 

with these representations ;* but you should not laugh 
j where you ought to be serious; vaunt where you 
I should tremble : or sneer where you should argue. 
,j In these respects you are unquestionably to blame, 
j If any thing in nature is of importance, it is surely 
Ij how we may "escape the death which never dies," 

j * When the Duke of Buckingham was once talking pro- 
fanely before King Charles II., Edmund Waller, the poet, 

j reproved him very properly, by saying, "My Lord, I am a 
great deal older than your grace, and, I believe, have heard 
more arguments for Atheism than ever your grace did ! but 
I have lived long enough to see there is nothing in them, 
and so I hope your grace will." We have an account in 
the Gentleman's. Magazine for June, 1798, of a man of very 
distinguished talents, well known for the laxity of his prin- 
ciples, and the licentiousness of his conduct, who died in 
the course of last year, at a very advanced age. He bore 
advances of dissolution tolerably well, while death seemed 

j at some distance ; but when death drew near, his atheistic 

; principles gave way, and he was afflicted with the most 
excruciating mental pangs. When he came to stand on the 

; brink of eternity, all his resolution forsook him. Though 
free from pain, he became restless and disturbed. His last 
hours were spent in agonies and horrors of remorse. He 
cried for mercy to that God whom he had wantonly denied, 
and— there let him rest— till the day of account ! I could 
wish the deistical reader would turn to the seventh section 
of Dr. Priestley's Observations on the Increase of Infide- 
lity, where he will find the spirit of Infidelity exemplified 
in the correspondence between Voltaire and D'Alembert. The 
resolution of these two Deists was to live and die laughing. 
That they lived laughing is partly true : but how did these 
gentlemen die ? the tune was changed ! This, too, was the 
case with the witty and facetious Thomas Brown, who used 

I to treat religion very lightly, and would often say, that he 
understood the world better than to have the imputation of 
righteousness laid to his charge. Nevertheless, upon the 
approach of death, his heart misgave him, and he began to 
express sentiments of remorse for his past life. Thus we 
see, however men may bully a; d defy the devil at coffee- 
houses and taverns, they are all the while secretly afraid 
of him, and dare scarcely venture themselves alone in the 
dark, for fear he should surprise them with his cloven feet. 
—-See the " Gen. Biog. Dictionary," article, Brown % 



\ 



330 



A PLEA FOK RELIGION 



and attain the end of oar creation. Walsingham 
j udged like a man of sense, ; when he said to the merry 
courtiers laughing on every hand of him — "Ah! 
while we laugh, all things are serious round about us ; 
God is serious, who preserved! us, and hath patience 
towards us : Christ is serious, who shed his blood for 
us : the Holy Ghost is serious, when he striveth with 
us ; the whole creation is serious in serving God and 
us ; they are serious in hell and in heaven; how then 
can we laugh and be foolish V We believe thesetle- 
nunciations of Scripture to be the words of eternal 
truth; and till you have demonstrated them to be 
certainly false, you are not wise to treat them with 
disregard. 

"What none can prove a forgery, may be true; 
What none but bad men wish exploded, must." 

You know what pain of body is, and you are no 
stranger to a greater or less degree of uneasiness of 
mind. Experience, therefore, teaches us, that we 
are capable of such uncomfortable sensations. The 
goodness of God is not of that nature to prevent 
human misery. The present state largely abounds 
therewith. Now, as pain and misery are permitted 
here, it is not improbable but they will be the same 
in the future state of existence. When only your 
head, or tooth, aches : when the gout, stone, or gra- 
vel, seize you ; or, when a burning fever makes your 
moisture like the drought in summer; do you then 
despise pain and anguish ? We have been told, that 
when Mirabeau,* the elder, was seized with his last 

* Mirabeau has frequently been styled an infidel. I dare 
not, however, suppose that he w<:s any other than a Chris- 
tian, in the latter part of his time, though, possibly, of a 
peculiar cast. If one may judge from his speech pronounced 
in the National Assembly of France, on the 14th of January, 
1791, concerning the civil consitution of the clergy, he was 
certainly a believer in the Saviour of mankind, and a most 
powerful advocate for regenerated Christianity. It is pro- 
bable, indeed, he would have carried it no further than a 



AKD THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



331 



illness, he found himself so distressed, that he desi- 
red his physician to despatch him by poison. His 
voice having failed him, he wrote — " Would you 
think that the sensation of death proves so painful?" 
His speech having returned, he said, " My pains are 
| insupportable. I have an age of strength, but not a 
lj moment of courage." A convulsion ensued. It was 
I! followed by a loud scream— and he expired ! 
I Thus you see how this famous French hero roared 
out under the anguish of his disorder. While he 
was in health he might, probably, be as full of cou- 
, rage as you feel. When the hand of God comes to 
I be upon the stoutest of us, we are soon taught, that 
all our boasted strength is perfect weakness, and all 
our vaunted courage perfect cowardice. We may 

pure system of moral philosophy.— Speaking of this extra- 
I ordinary genius, brings to my mind a remarkable paper, 
which was published in the Complete Magazine for the 
: month of October, 1764, on the " Cause of the Decline of 
the French Nation." The whole paper is curious, but the 
latter part is so extremely applicable to the present state 
of Europe, that one can scarcely consider it as any other 
than prophetic. The close runs thus : — " The parliaments 
of France are obliged to conceal the strong spirit of liberty 
with which they are enfiamed, under the mask of loyalty, 
and of attachment to the monarchy. They remonstrate 
with force and elevation against every measure which tends 
to the prejudice of the provinces they protect. They can 
go no further ; but they await the moment to strike the 
blow that shall lay the fabric of despotism in ruins. When 
this blow is struck, the effects of it will be equal to those 
of magic. The cottage will be put on a level with the 
j palace ; the peasant with the prince. Ranks shall be con- 
founded ; titles, distinctions, and birth, shall tumble into 
an undistinguished heap of confusion. A new moral crea- 
tion shall strike the view of an admiring universe ; and 
France, like old Rome in her first flights to empire, shall 
appear with the sceptre of universal dominion burgeoning 
in her hands. Out of universal confusion order shall arise ; 
the great of nature's creating will assume their places, and 
the great by title and accident will drop despised into the 
common mas3 of the people." 



I 



332 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



1 



be permitted for a time to carry on the war against 
God and his Christ, but it will not do. A sick bed, 
or a dying pillow, will, in all likelihood, bring us to 
our senses. Or, should these be so unfortunate as 
to fail, a day of judgment will assuredly do the busi- ( 
ness which they had left undone. 

-" To die : — to sleep : — 



To sleep ! perchance to dream ! ay, there's the rub, 
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, 
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, 
Must give us pause." 

A more extraordinary instance of impenitency I 
have not read, than that of William Williams, who 
died in the parish of Tarvin, near Chester, in April, 
1791, and was buried at Great Acton Church, near 
jVantwich, by the Rev. Mr. Wilson. If my inform- 
ation be right, and I have no reason to call it in 
question, but from the horribleness of it, this un- ! 
happy man had been extremely wicked all his life. 
When he drew near his end, being about seventy 
years of age, he determined to make his will, and 
leave all he had from his wife and children, alleg- 1 
ing that the latter were none of his. But, though 
he bade fifty pounds as a reward, no persons could 
be fouud who would sign as witnesses. He desired, 
when he died, that a pair of clog shoes should be 
put into his coffin, that he might pound devils and 
damned souls with them in hell. Being reproved 
for his swearing and wickedness, he told those who 
reproved him, that he neither regarded them, nor ; 
their new God ; he would curse and swear so long- 
as he had breath. He did so. He ordered his body 
to be drawn in his own cart to be buried. It was so. 
He charged that 5s. should be spent at every public 
house on the road. Some of it was so. He desired 
lie might be laid at the corner of the church-yard 
next the public-house, that he might have the plea- 
sure of hearing the company curse and swear. He, 
moreover, requested, that every one of his compa- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 333 

nions would drink a health standing upon his grave 
after it was filled up. They did so ; and continued 
to drink and make merry over his grave for near two 
hours after the interment. 

This shows us there are cases to be met with of 
persons, who are so hardened in their sin, and so 
totally given up of God, that neither sickness nor 
death can make any impression upon them. I 
remember one of this unhappy description in the 
county of Essex, whom I both visited during his ill- 
ness, and interred after he was dead. He was a 
clever fellow, and of a good family, but so totally 
depraved, that when one of his bottle companions 
wrote to inform him, that he was about to die and 
go to hell, and desired to know what place he should 
bespeak for him there, he sat down, and gave him 
for reply, that he did not care where it was, if there 
was only brandy and rum enough. Thus he lived — 
and, soon after this, died a martyr to spirituous 
liquors— cursing and blaspheming, notwithstanding 
all that could be done to bring him to a better mind. 
Being possessed of two bank bills of the value often 
pounds each, which was all the little property he 
had left — " Now," said he to a person who stood by, 
" when I have spent this in brandy and rum, I shall 
be contented to die and go to hell !" He sunk, how- 
ever, before they were expended, and left just enough 
to bury him. 

These are shocking instances of obduration, which 
seem to vie with Pharaoh himself, and ought to warn 
every man how he trifles with the convictions of his 
own mind, and causes the Spirit of God to withdraw 
from him. 

If man be a reasonable creature, there is a here- 
after. And if there be a hereafter, it must be a state 
of retribution. A moral Governor must deal with 
moral agents, according to their moral conduct. 
The perfection of his nature requires it. I swear bv 
the ETERNAL, therefore, all the denunciations of 



334 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

Scripture shall have their accomplishment upon you, . 
if you prevent it not by a compliance with the gra- E 
cions and equitable demands of the Gospel. 

It surely is a very astonishing consideration, that y 
a beins- such as man, placed on a small globe of earth 
in a little corner of the universe, cut off from all com- L 
munication with the other systems, which are disper- * 
sed through the immensity of space, imprisoned, as 
it were, on the spot where he happens to be born, 
almost ut terly ignorant of the variety of spiritual ex- ( 
istence, and greatly circumscribed in his knowledge 
of material things by their remoteness, magnitude, or 
minuteness, a stranger to the nature of the very peb- 
bles on which he treads, unacquainted, or but very ob- 
scurely informed by his natural faculties of his condi- - 
tion after death ; it is wonderful that a being such as 
this should reluctantly receive, or fastidiously reject j, 
the instruction of the Eternal God! 

Or if this be saying too uuch, that he should has- 
tily, and negligently, and triumphantly conclude, 
that the Supreme Being never had condescended to t 
instruct the race of man, it might properly havebeen L 
expected, that a rational being, so circumstanced, • 
would have sedulously inquired into a subject of such 
vast importance ; that he would not have suffered him- 
self to have been diverted from the investigation by 
the pursuits of wealth, or honour, or any temporal 
concern, much less by notions taken up without at- 
tention, arguments admitted without examination, or 
prejudices imbibed in early youth from the profane 
ridicule and impious jestings of sensual ana immoral 
men.* 

It is customary with you gentlemen, who reject 
the Scriptures, to consider every believer of them as 
weak and credulous. t I would recommend it to you, 

* Bishop Watson's Collection of Theological Tracts, vol. 
i. p. 9, preface, from whence this paragraph is taken, with 
some trifling alteration. 

tLet the more solid, rational, and inquisitive Deist, who 



! s ' 

AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 335 

\ however, to suspend your censures, and to reconsider 
; the matter before you form a final judgment. Do 
you seriously think, then, that a man who believes in 
!i God, that he is the Creator and Governor of the 
| world, and " a rewarderof them that diligently seek 
I after him?" that a man who embraces the Gospel as 
| a dispensation of mercy, and conducts himself accord- 
! mg to the letter and the spirit of i", is a weak and 
j despicable character? Can you, in the sober fear of 
God, esteem all the great men among Christians to 
: have been unreasonable and deluded persons? and that 
I Thomas Paine and yourselves are the only men upon 
earth who have found out the true wisdom? Is it 
probable that men of your description, who in gene- 
ral have never turned your thoughts seriously and 
conscientiously that way, and who are neither more 
moral, more sensible, more learned, more philosophi- 
| cal, nor more inquisitive than large numbers of 
i Christians are found to be, should have made the 
i wonderful discovery, that religion is all a cheat, and 
I the Bible a ridiculous tale, trumped up by the priests, 
to delude and amuse mankind, while many of our 
great philosophical characters of all professions 
make it the study of their lives to comply with the 
former, and spend a considerable proportion of their 
time in the investigation of the latter? And then, 
it is of no little importance to ask — Does your unbe- 
lief make you more moral, pure, chaste, temperate, 
humble, modest, thankful, happy? Are you more 
1 amiable in your manners than we Christians are, 
better masters, servants, husbands, wives, children, 
I friends, neighbours ? 

; is in pursuit of moral and religious truth, and wishes to 
I have his mind satisfied in the great things which concern 
human happiness, have recourse to Dr. Samuel Clarke's 
book on the " Truth and Certainty of the Christian Religion 
and then let him say, whether all who believe in the Savi- 
I our of the world are weak and credulous persons. Perhaps 
a piece of more rational and conclusive argumentation was 
never presented to the consideration of mankind. 



336 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Besides, my countrymen (permit me to speak 
plainly), are you not the most ungrateful of all hu- 
man beings, in that you have derived the whole of 
your present peculiar light, information, or philoso- 
phy (call it what you will) from the writings of the 
Old and New Testaments, aud then make use of that 
light, information, or philosophy, to discredit those 
Writings, and to make them ridiculous among man- 
kind? If we want to know what pure nature can 
teach, we must divest ourselves of all our present 
ideas, collected from the writings of the Sacred 
Code, and learn our religion from the Pagan page 
alone. The most eminent of them, however, saw 
and lamented their want of what you now so fastidi- 
ously reject. 

" Pure Plato ! how had thy chaste spirit hail'd 

A faith so fitted to thy moral sense ! 

What hadst thou felt, to see the fair romance 

Of high imagination, the bright dream 

Of thy pure fancy more than realized ! 

O sweet enthusiast ! who hast blest a scheme 

Fair, good, and perfect. How had thy wrapt soul 

Caught fire, and burnt with a diviner flame : 

For e'en thy fair idea ne'er conceived 

Such plenitude of love, such boundless bliss 

As Deity made visible to sense." 

Should you not, as men of sense, review the his- 
tory of the seven ancient nations of the world, and 
compare their religion and morals with the religion I 
and morals of your own country, where the Gospel 
has been preached for so many years? Common j 
sense, and common equity, seem to require this of j 
you, before you commence apostates from that reli- , 
gion in which you have been educated. You will 
permit me here to call to your remembrance a few 
facts culled out of the history of mankind. Make 
what use of them you please. Only give them a 
patient consideration, and a fair comparison with 
the religion of Jesus, as exhibited in the New Testa- i 
ment, and then act as you judge meet. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



337 



The Babylonians are said to have introduced the 
unnatural custom of human sacrifices. The Sephar- 
vites, probably a branch of that people, burnt their 
children in fire to Adrammelech and Anamelech, the 
gods of Sepharvaim. 2 Kings xvii. 31. 

Among the Phoenicians, a father (lid not scruple 
to immolate his only child ; a husband to plunge his 
knife into a heart as dear to him as his own, to avert 
some public misfortune. Porphyr. 1. 2. 

In Carthage, the children of the nobility were 
sacrificed to Saturn. The calamities which Agatho- 
cles brought upon that city were believed by the in- 
habitants to be a punishment for the substitution of 
ignoble blood; and, to appease the wrath of God, 
they immolated two hundred children of noble blood 
in one sacrifice. Plut. de Superstit.— Diod. Sic. 
1. 20. 

The ancient Germans also sacrificed human vic- 
tims. Their priestesses opened the veins of the suf- 
ferers, and drew omens from the rapidity of the 
streams of blood.— Tact. Germ. 9. — Di'od. Sic. 
1,5, 20. 

The ancient Britons likewise were equally cruel 
and superstitious. 

The sacrifice of strangers and prisoners of war 
seems to have been general, even among the ancient 
nations which were more civilized. 

Achilles, in Homer, immolates twelve Trojans to 
the manes of Patroclus. — u Iliad," 23, 175. 

And even in the 5"32d year of Rome, two Greeks 
and two Gauls were buried alive in a public place of 
the city, to satisfy the superstitious prejudices of 
the populace. — Li v. 1. 22, c. 57. 

Though the Greeks do not appear to have offered 
human sacrifices, yet whole states were at times 
reduced to slavery, and their lands confiscated, and 
their prisoners of war massacred in cold blood. 

Conjugal infidelity among the Athenians was be- 
come so common in the time of Pericles, that almost 
T 



338 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



five thousand of their citizens were illegitimate.— 
Plut. in Pericl. 

If at any time a man became eminent among: them ' 
for virtue, lie was generally sentenced to some kind | 
of punishment, either to imprisonment, banishment, 
or death. 

Dark, however, as the picture of the Athenians is | 
exhibited, it is sunshine when compared to that of 
the Lacedsemonians. - See their history. By the 
laws of Sparta, a parent was permitted to destroy a 
weak or deformed child. 

The Romans, though great and successful, were i 
equally far from being a virtuous nation. They were 
the murderers and plunderers of the world. We [ 
might instance their whole history ; but it will j 
suffice to have observed, that the celebrated Julius i 
Ceesar boasted he had taken eight hundred towns, j 
vanquished three hundred states, "fought three milli- , 
ons of men, of whom one million had been either 
slaughtered or reduced to slavery. 

The number of men slain at different periods, even | 
for their diversion and entertainment, was immense! i 

A creditor could, at the expiration of thirty days, ; 
seize an insolvent debtor, who could not find bail, 
and keep hirn sixty days in chains. During this 
time, he was allowed to expose him three market 
days to public sale, for the amount of his debt, and, 
a t the expiration of the third, to put him to death, i 
If there were many creditors, they were permitted i 
to tear and divide his body among them. It was ' 
customary, however, to sell the debtor, and divide ! 
the money. 

A father had a right of life and death over his 
children, and, by the laws of Rome, was permitted I 
to expose his children to perish. 

The husband was the only judge and arbiter of his 
wife's fate. If a wife was convicted of committing | 
adultery, or of drinking wine, her husband had a | 
right to put her to death without the formality of a 



! 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 339 



public trial; while she was not permitted on any 
provocation, to raise her finger against him.* 
To these several facts, add a careful perusal of the 
I first chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and 
| then you will have a view of the religion and morals 
of the Heathen world before the advent of Christ. If 
I there be a difference between us and them it is what 
, the Gospel has made. The Heathens, indeed, excel- 
' led greatly in the arts and sciences. Excellence of 
i composition may be produced from their writings in 
rich abundance ; but we call upon you to show us 
any thing fit to be compared with various of the com- 
positions contained in the Bible. You have no his- 
tory so ancient, so important, so instructive, so 
entertaining, so well-written ;f no poetry so sublime ; 

* See a learned sermon of Dr. Valpy, where these testi- 
I monies to the depraved state of the Heathen^nations are de- 
j tailed more at large. 

; t One of the finest and most important passages ia all 

1 Heathen antiquity is that of Plato, where he introduces 
Socrates speaking of some divine teacher of whom he was 
in expectation, and of the mist which is naturally upon the 
mind of man, which was to he removed hy that teacher. 
" He is one," says Socrates, who has now a concern for 
us.'! — "He is a person that has a wonderful readiness and 
willingness to take away the mist from the mind of man, 
and to enable us to distinguish rightly between good and 
evil." — See his second Aicibiades. Bishop Hall says, " I 
durst appeal to the judgment of a carnal reader, (let him 
not be prejudiced) that there is no history so pleasant as 
the sacred ; for should we even set aside the majesty of the 
Inditer, none can compare with it for magnificence, and 

j the antiquity of the matter, the sweetness of compiling, and 
the strange variety of memorable occurrences." " I am 

I very confident," says Sir Richard Steele, " whoever reads 
the Gospels, with a heart as much prepared for them as 
when he sits down to Virgil or Homer, will find no passage 
there which is not told with more natural force than any 
episode in either of those wits, who were the chief of mere 

1 mankind." Mr. Locke somewhere observes, " that morality 
becomes a gentleman, not merely as a man, but in order to 
his business as a gentleman j and the morality of the Gos- 
Y 2 



I 



340 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



no eloquence so noble and persuasive ; no proverbs so 
laconic, so divine, so useful ; no morality so pure and 
perfective of human nature; no system ,of the intel- 
lectual world so rational. We challenge you, my 
countrymen, we dare you to come forward, and show 
us any thing of equal excellence in all the authors of 
antiquity, or among ail the stores of modern refine- 
ment?* You ought, then, to be ashamed of your 
conduct, in treating with such indignity and sovereign 
contempt writings which were never excelled, never 
equalled ; and which, it is probable, you have never 
given yourselves time thoroughly to understand. 
Your conduct therein is extremely culpable, and what 
cannot be justified, either on the principles of religion 
or philosophy. Any man, possessed of one grain of 
modesty, and gratitude to heaven, could not help 
seeing the impropriety of it. A timely attention to 
one of Solomon's jestst might do all such persons 
everlasting good : — " Judgments are prepared for 
scorners, and stripes for the back of fools !" " I can 
write," says Mr. Paine, "abetter book than the 

pel," says he, " doth so excel that of other books, that to 
give a man full knowledge of true morality, I should send 
him no other book but the New Testament." 

* If any person, who takes up this book, wishes to be in- 
formed where he may find the literary beauties of Holy 
Scripture pointed out to him, let him know, that Boyle on 
the Style of Scripture— Blackwall's Sacred Classics — and 
Bishop Lowth's Pcerlectiones, are all very valuable in 
this way. — Hervey's Works contain many beautiful speci- 
mens of sacred criticism. Smith's Longinus, Blair's Lec- 
tures, Eollin's Belles Lettres, Weald's Christian Orator, 
and the second volume of the Adventurer, all contain several 
good illustrations. Some instances of the same kind will be 
met with in the Spectator and Guardian. Many of these 
illustrations of the beauties of Scripture are collected into 
one view in the second volume of Simpson's Sacred 
Literature. 

+ Thomas Paine, by way of showing his wit, calls Solo- 
mon's Proverbs a jest book, 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



341 



Bible myself." We grant this gentleman every merit 
j to which he is entitled ; but I cannot help recom- 
mending to his attention, and that of his friends, 
I another of this Jewish king's witty sayings : — " Seest 
thou a man wise in his own conceit ? There is more 
hope of a fool than of him V Many other jests utter- 
1 ed by this sagacious monarch are equally funny with 
| these two, and not less applicable to such characters 
as Mr„ Paine, and our other vaunting philosophis- 
ters; but these may suffice as a specimen. The 
I reader might be abundantly gratified with others of 
I a similar kind, by having recourse to the jest-book 
itself, to which I would, therefore, recommend him 
with all speed to apply. A serious application to a 
book of such admirable humour could not fail of 
yielding most exquisite entertainment ! Let us how- 
I ever, proceed to other considerations. 

How different are the opinions of your Master, 
Thomas Paine, and Sir William Jones,* concerning 

* Before this illustrious scholar went to India, he was by- 
no means free from a sceptical bias. But when he resided 
in Asia, he investigated, with minute and rigid attention, 
all those intricate theological points which had occasioned 
his doubts ; and the result was, not only his own complete 
conviction, but the conviction of several eminent scho'ars, 
who, till then, had but slightly attended to the proofs for 
the verity of the Mosaic writings. These gentlemen, from 
that time, renounced their doubts and errors, and became, 
like Sir William himself, not only almost, but altogether 
Christians. See this subject considered more at large in 
the British Critic for Feb, 1798. The above declaration 
of this excellent man is said to have been written in one of 
the blank leaves of his common reading Bible. He has ad- 
vanced the same sentiments more at large in the third 
volume of the Asiatic Researches, p. 402. " Theological 
inquiries," says he, " are no part of my present subject ; 
but I cannot refrain from adding, that the collection of 
tracts, which we call, from their excellence, the Scriptures, 
contain, independently of a divine origin, more true subli- 
mity, more exquisite beauty, purer morality, more important 
history, and finer strains both of poetry and eloquence, 



342 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

the Sacred Writings ? The former, who has betrayed 
the most palpable ignorance, says all manner of evil 
against them * while the latter, who was an all-ac- 
complished scholar, seems at a loss how sufficiently 
to express the sense he had of their importance. " I 
have regularly and attentively read the Holy Scrip- i 
tures/' says this great lawyer, " and am of opinion 
this volume, independent of its divine origin, con- 
tains more sublimity and beauty , more pure morality, 
more important history, and finer strains of poetry 
and eloquence, than can be collected from all other 
books, in whatever language or age they have been 
composed." 

Andis it not strange that these contemptible writers, » 
as Thomas Paine affects to consider them, should ' 
excel all mankind in every sort of composition? They 
must have been extremely dexterous impostors ! 
Christ, the most pious and moral of men, the most 
ingenious of deceivers ! His apostles, the most igno- 

i 

than could be collected within the same compass from ! 
all other books that were ever composed in any age ; I 
or in any idiom. The two parts of which the Scrip- j 
tures consist, are connected by a chain of compositions, 
which bear no resemblance in form or style to any that : 
can be produced from the stores of Grecian, Indian, Persian, j 
or even Arabian learning. The antiquity of those compo- 
sitions no man doubts ; and the unrestrained application of | 
them to events long subsequent to their publication >is 
a solid ground of belief, that they were genuine predic- 
tions, and consequently inspired. " Note that, the last hour 
of the life of this illustrious character (who was particularly 
eminent for his attainments in astronomy, chronology, j 
antiquity, languages, music, botany, and the laws of Eng- 
land) was marked by a solemn act of devotion. Finding his 
dissolution rapidly approaching, he desired his attendants 
to carry him into an inner apartment, where, at his desire, 
they left him. Returning, after a short interval, they found 
him in a kneeling posture, with his hands clasped, and his 
eyes fixed towards heaven. As they were removing him he 
expired. See Maurice's elegiac poem on the death of this 
admirable man. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



343 



rant and illiterate of mortals, the wisest and most 
admirable of writers ! What paradoxes a man must 
embrace before he can become a finished Infidel ! 
j If then, my countrymen, such are the superior ex- 
j cellencies of the Bible, though you find yourselves 
| incapable of receiving it as composed by divine assist- 
1 ance for the instruction and salvation of mankind, 
j you will do yourelves a very serious injury by ex- 
ploding it in every other point of view. Read it, at 
least, if it is only as a collection of compositions more 
ancient, more curious, more excellent, more enter- 
taining, and more important, than any other extant. 
This is a merit you must allow it to possess, if your 
mind be ever so little improved in literary attain- 
ments. And if this be not your situation, you are 
ill-qualified to judge of the truth or falsehood of a 
book of such vast antiquity, and which claims deri- « 
vation from heaven. We have known several good 
scholars who used to read the Sacred Code, as we 
esteem it, merely as a book of entertainment. We 
have known others who have read it to elevate 
their minds. Some read it for its history, some 
for its poetry, some for its eloquence, some for 
its morality, some for its maxims, some for its 
sublime views of the Supreme Being, some for 
the inimitable examples which it affords of virtue 
and vice. Be it then true or false, as a system 
of Divine revelation, let it have its due rfraise, and 
hold the rank among books to which it is so justly 
entitled.* Give every author the honour due unto 
him, and sing with our epic bard : — 

* The beauties of composition to be met with in the 
Sacred Writings are beyond all praise. It is a neglect un- 
pardonable in classical schools, that they are not read there, 
as the standard of good taste, and of fine writing, as well as 
6f sound morals and religion. If they abound with such 
numerous specimens of noble composition in the most literal 
of all translations, let any man judge what they must .be in 
the original ! 



344 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



" Yet not the more 

Cease I to wander, where the Muses haunt 
Clea.* spring, or shady grove, or sunny hill, 
Smit with the love of sacred song ; but chief 
Thee, Sion, and the flow'ry brooks beneath 
That wash thy hallow'd feet, and warbling flow, 
Nightly I visit." 

This book, which you are unhappy enough to des- 
pise, abounds, we have already seen, with all the va- 
rious beauties of the Greek and Roman classics, and 
in a much higher decree of perfection. It consists, 
not merely of a collection of chapters and verses, and 
distinct aphorisms on trivial subjects, as too many 
are apt to conceive, but is, as it were, one grand Epic 
composition, forming sixty-six books, of unequal 
lengths, and various importance. As the sun, moon, 
planets, and comets, make one system, and are each 
of them necessary to the harmony of the whole, so the 
different books of the Sacred Code, though sepa- 
rately considered, and taken out of their connexion, 
may appear unimportant, yet, as parts of one large 
and complicated system, they are all necessary, use- 
ful, or convenient, to the perfection of the whole. 
And though the time be longer than isusualy admit- 
ted in compositions of the Epic kind, its beginning 
being with the birth, and its end with the close of 
Nature itself, yet it should be remembered, that even 
this circumstance is perfectly consistent with the 
rest of the adorable plan: "a thousand years being 
with the Lord as one day, and one day as a thousand 
years." The Action of it is one, entire, and the i 
greatest that can be conceived. All the Beings in the 
universe, of which we have any knowledge, are con- 
cerned in the Drama. The design of it is to display 
the perfections of the adorable Creator ; to rescue the 
human race from total misery and ruin ; and to form 
us, by example, to glory, honour, and immortality. 
The Epic opens in a mild and calm sublimity, with 
the creation of the world itself. It is carried on with 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



an astonishing variety of incident s, and unparalleled 
simplicity and majesty of language.* The least and 
most trivial episodes, or under actions, which are 
| interwoven in it, are parts either necessary, or con- 
j venient, to forward the main design ; either so neces- 
ll sary, that without them the work must be imperfect, 
or so convenient, that no others can be imagined 
j more suitable to the place in which they are. And it 
closes with a book, or, to keep up the figure, with a 
scene, the most solemn, majestic, and sublime, that 
ever was composed by any author, sacred or profane. t 
" The human mind," says one of the best of judges, 
"can conceive nothing more elevated, more grand, 
more glowing, more beautiful, and more elegant, than 
what we meet with in the Sacred Writings of the 
Hebrew bards. The most ineffable sublimity of the 
| subjects they treat upon is fully equalled by the 
energy of the language, and the dignity of the style. 
Some of these writings, too, exceed in antiquity the 
fabulous ages of Greece, as much as in sublimity they 
are superior to the most finished productions of that 
celebrated people.^ Moses, for instance, stands un- 
rivalled by the best of them both as a poet, orator, 
and historian David as a poetj| and musician; 

* One of the best judges of the age observes, that " the 
graceful negligence of nature pleases beyond the truest orna- 
ments that art can devise. Indeed, they are then truest, 
when they approach nearest to this negligence. To attain 
it, is the very triumph of art. The wise artist, therefore, 
always completes his studies in the great school of creation, 
where the forms of elegance lie scattered in an endless va- 
riety ; and the writer who wishes to possess some portion of 
that sovereign excellence and simplicity, even though he 
were an Infidel, would have recourse to the Scriptures, and 
make them his model." 
t See Dryden's Essays on the Belles Lettrcs. 
X Lowth's Prcelectiones. 

§ Longinus, the best critic of the Heathen world, speaks of 
Moses as no ordinary writer, and cites his account of the 
creation as an instance of the true sublime. 
U Mr. Addison says, " After perusing the book of Psalms 



346 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

Solomon as a moralist, naturalist, and pastoral writer ; j 
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Nahum, Joel, and some others of L 
the minor prophets, as orators, or poets, or both: 
Homer and Virgil must yield the palm to Job* for 
true sublime : Isaiah excels all the world in almost 
every kind of composition :f the four Evan gelists are 
eminent as orators and historians: St. Peter and St. 
James, St. Luke and St. John, as authors of no ordi- - 
nary rank : and St. Paul as the most sublime of 
writers and eloquent of orators.^ All these eulogiums - 
upon the sacred penmen are spoken of them merely , 
as authors, without the least view to their higher , 
order as inspired writers, and messengers of the Lord 
of Hosts. If this last consideration be taken into 
the account, and added to the former, what an all- 
important book must the Bible be ? — what a blessing 
to mankind ! Language cannot express the value of 
it. If the exhortation of a late noble author, as im- ; 
properly applied to the Grecian bard, were applied 

let a judge of the beauties of poetry read a literal transla- 
tion of Horace or Pindar, and he will find in these two last 
such an absurdity and confusion of style, with such a com- 
parative poverty of imagination, as will make him sensible of 
the vast superiority of Scripture style. 

* The Rev. George Costard, famous for oriental learning, 
considers Job as an exalted and regular piece of eastern 
poetry, of the dramatic kind, consisting of five acts. The 
three first acts end at the 32d chapter ; from the 32d to the 
88th is the fourth act; from thence to the end is the fifth act. 

+ Let the reader consult Bishop Lowth's Pr&lectioncs 
for the character of the several prophets of the Old Testa- j 
ment, where he will find much useful information. 

jThe above Longinus ranks Paul of Tarsus among the 
most famous orators. 

§ Madame Dacier, the celebrated French critic, in the Pre- 
face to her Translation of Homer, assures us, that " the books 
of the Prophets and the Psalms, even in the Yulgftfe, are full ! 
of such passages, as the greatest poer in 'he world could not : 
put into verse, wi;hout losing much of their majesty and 
pathos." 



i 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



S47 



to this inestimable volume, it would be used with the 
strictest propriety and decorum : — 

Read God's Word once, and you can read no more, 
For all books else appear so mean, so poor ; 
Verse will seem prose; but still persist (oread, 
And God's Word will be all the books you need." 

In short, my countrymen, the Bible abounds with 
j a vast variety of matter, a confused magnificence 
above all order, and is the fittest book in the world 
to be the standard of doctrines, and the model of 
good writing. We defy all the sons of infidelity to 
show us any thing like it, or second to it. Where 
will you meet with such a number of instructive 
proverbs— fervent prayers— sublime songs— benefi- 
cent miracles — apposite parables— infallible prophe- 
cies*— affectionate epistles— eloquent orations— in- 

* A valuable correspondent, speaking of the prophetic 
Scriptures, expresses himself in the following manner : — 
" Next to astronomy, few subjects expand the human mind 
more than the view which prophecy opens to us of the go- 
vernment of the Great King. To see the vast mass of ma- 
terials, kingdoms, and centuries in motion, only to the 
accomplishment of his purposes: to see refractory men em- 
ployed to preserve the harmony of his designs : and the 
disorderly passions, while apparently working solely in their 
own narrow circle, ignorantly advancing the fulfilment of 
his determination. This is a study delightfully interesitng, 
and which, in common with the contempla'i n of all the 
Great Creator's doings, elevates the mind above the oppres- 
sion of human cares and sorrows, and seems to leave her 
in that serenity of admiration, which one may imagine an 
imperfect foretaste of part of the employment and happiness 
of angels." Abraham Cowley tells us, that " all the books 
of the Bible are either already most admirable and exalted 
pieces of poetry, or are the best; materials in the world for 
it." Sir Richard Blackmore says, that " for sense, and for 
noble and sublime thoughts, the poetical parts of Scripture 
have an infinite advantage above all others put together." 
Matthew Prior, Esq. is of opinion, that, "the writings of 
Solomon afford subjects for finer poems in every kind than 
have yet appeared in the Greek, Latin, or any modern lan- 
guage." Alexander Pope, Esq. assures us, that " the pure 



348 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



structive histories— pure laws— rich promises— aw- 
ful denunciations— useful exsarnples, as are set before 

and noble, the graceful and dignified, simplicity of language, 
is no where in such perfection as in the Scripture and 
Homer ; and that the whole book of Job,Vith tegard both , 
to sublimity of thought and morality, exceeds beyond all 
comparison the most noble par's of Homer," Mr. Nicholas j 
Rowe, too, the 'poet, after having read most of the Gieek : 
and Roman histories, in their original languages, and most [ 
that are written in English, French, Italian, and Spanish, 1 
was fully persuaded of the truth of revealed religion, ex- : 
pressed it upon all ccasions, took great delight in divinity 
and ecclesistical history, and died at last like a Chiistian 
and philosopher, with an absolute resignation to the will of 
God. There are few anecdotes of our celebrated English 
poets which have given me more pleasure than that of poor 
Collins, who, in the latter part of his mortal career, with- 
drew from study, and travelled with no other book than an j 
English Testament, such as children carry to school. When 
a friend t >ok it in his hand, out of curiosity to see what 
companion a man of letters had chosen, " I have only one 
book," said Collins, "but that is the best." — See Johnson's ' 
Lives of the Poets, vol. iv. I must own that such an 
anecdote as this knits my heart to Collins more than all j 
the excellencies of his poetry. Sick and infirm, in the spirit 
of Mary, he sits at the divine Redeemer's fee r , lis'ening to 
the wo:ds of eternal life. In such a state of body and mind, 
one single promise from his gracious and infallible lips is 
of more real value and importance than all the pompous 
learning of the most celebrated philosophers. This, indeed, - 
will never be properly felt and understood till we come to 
be in similar circumstances. When Dr. Watts was almost 
worn out, and broken down by his infirmities, he observed, L 
in conversation with a friend, "he remembered an aged , 
minister used to say, that the most learned and knowing L 
Christians, when they come to die, have only the same 
plain promises of the Gospel for their support as the com- 
mon and unlearned : and so, said he, I find it. It is the j 
plain promises of the Gospel that are my support ; and I ■ 
bless God they are plain promises, that do not require much - 
labour and pains to understand them, for I can do nothing 
now but look into my Bible for some promise to support 
me, and live upon that." This was likewise the case with 
the pious and excellent Mr. Hervey. He writes, about two 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



349 



J us in this richly fraught magazine of all true excel- 
lence in matter and composition, the Holy Bible ? 
i! We may say with Propertius, on another occasion, 

Cedite, Romani scriptores ; edite Graii ;* 
|j and recommend to the gentleman,! the scholar, and 
l| the philosopher, as well as to the illiterate Christian, 

months before his death :— <£ I now spend," says he, " al- 
j most my whole time in reading and praying over the 
Bible." And again, near the same time, to another friend: 
" I am now reduced to a state of infant weakness, and given 
over by my physician. My grand consolation is to medi- 
tate on Christ ; and I am hourly repeating those heart- 
reviving lines of Dr. Young : — 

This — only this subdues the fear of death : 
And what is this? — Survey the wondrous cure ; 
And at each step let higher wonder rise ! 

I. Pardon for infinite offence !— 2. And pardon 
| Through means that speak its value infinite ! — 

3. A pardon bought with blood ! — 4. With blood divine ! — 
With blood divine of him I made my foe !--- 
6. Persisted to provoke ! — 7. Though woo'd and aw'd, 
Bless'd and chastis'd, a flagrant rebel still ! — 

8. A rebel 'midst the thunders of his throne ! — 

9. Nor I alone ! — 10. A rebel universe ! — 

II. My species up in arms! — 12. Not one exempt : — 

13. Yet for the foulest of the foul he dies ! 

14. Most joy'd for the redeem'd from deepest guilt ! — 

15. As if our race were held of highest rank ; 
And Godhead dearer, as more kind to man." 

We have just read Godwin's Memoirs of Mrs. Godwin, 
otherwise Mrs. Mary Wollstonecroft. She was a woman of 
considerable powers, but of a lewd character in life, living 
with a Mr. Imlay as a wife, and having a child by him ; 
and then, when forsaken by him, living with, and being 
pregnant by Mr. Godwin, who afterwards married her. I 
mention these circumstances, because they were both pro- 
fessed philosophers and unbelievers, and as a contrast to the 
above pious Christians. She attended no public worship, 
and during her last illness no religious expressions escaped 
her philosophic lips. 

* Let both the Greek and Roman authors yield the palm 
to the Sacred Writings. 

t Dr. South observes, that " he who would not read the 



A PLEA FOB. RELIGION 



the daily perusal of the Bible, with infinitely greater 
propriety, than ever Horace did to the learned Ro- 
mans the study of the Grecian models. 

Noeturna versate maim, versate diurna.* 

There is another circumstance, my countrymen, I 
beg leave to submit to your consideration, which is, 
that though there are several of your unbelieving 
brethren who are men of considerable natural abili- 
ties, of some learning, and of decent morals, yet 
there are not a few among you, as among us, who 
are profane and debauched in no small degree ; and 
who, therefore, are not capable of being reasoned 
with upon any religious topic whatever. These are 
a disgrace to any cause. And the more zealously 
they avow their party, the less honourable it is to 
that party. Such men are little raised above the 
brutes that perish, being earthly, sensual, devilish. 
Let them but eat, drink, sleep, and indulge the 
baser passions of the human frame, they ask no 
more, they look no higher. To intellectual and re- 
fined enjoyments they are strangers. Of literary 
gratifications they know little. For moral and reli- 
gious pleasures they have no taste. Immortal ex- 
pectations, which exalt and ennoble the mind of man, 
they are willing to forego. The language of their 
sensual souls, which are brutalized with indulgence, 1 
is no other than that of the ancient Epicureans — 
" Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." And j. 
did they die to-morrow, the public would have no 
great loss of them: could they make good their i 
hopes, that death is an eternal cessation from sensi- I 
bility, they themselves would sustain no material 
inconvenience. The best they can expect is, to 

Scripure for fear of spoiling his style, showed himself as 
much a blockhead as an atheist, and to have as small a gust 
of the excellencies of expression, as of the sacredness of 
the matter. — Sermons, vol. vi. p 32. 
* Read therein by day, meditate by night. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



cease to be : a consummation, for such characters, is 
devoutly to be wished ! 
These are the men, however, who make the great- 
j est noise, and most violently oppose the religion of 

the Son of God, and the Sacred Writings!* 
! It is an honour to that religion, and those writings, 
J that such men are Infidels, and avow their unbelief 
j in the face of the world ! May every unreasonable 
and immoral man do the same! 

After all, my countrymen, if every thing besides 
in these papers shall be despised by you, let the 
several examples herein recorded have their due 
weight upon your minds. If there be importance in 
any thing, it is usually found in the sentiments and 
behaviour of men, when they draw near the close of 
their earthly existence, 
j " Men may live fools, but fools they cannot die." 

i We may, indeed, be hardened in our sins, when that 
event draws nigh. We may brave it oat against 
death. We may set at defiance all the threats of 
heaven. But, usually, we discover certain symp- 
toms, even here, of what our future destiny is like to 
be. Fear, horror, indifference, hope, trust, faith, 
reliance, joy, will all more or less prevail, according 
as the state of our minds shall be, in those solemn 
moments, when death is making his approach. f So 

* It is calculated, that, when trade goes pretty well, 
there are, upon an average, 200,000 manufacturers in thi3 
country, who constantly spend their working hours in idle- 
I ness, drinking, gambling, and debauchery. This large body 
' of men may likewise be considered as infidels in principle, 
, atheists in practice, and ripe for any wicked and desperate 
i enterprize which may arise. They are the curse and scum 
of the country; and yet they are usually excessively "wise 
in their own eyes, and prudent in their own conceit." All 
the world are fools besides themselves. They are great 
politicians, great philosophers, great divines— over their 
cups !— and wisdom shall die with them! 
I There is a very affecting narrative just published by a 



352 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

it was in the several cases we have recorded in these 
pages. And the time is not at any great distance, 

John Cooke, of Maidenhead, in Berks, entitled "Reason 
paying Homage to Revelation," in the Confession of a Deist i 
at the gates of death. The gentleman in question was a 
very respectable person in the medical profession in that 
town, and died at the age of thirty-three. He was a man : 
of pleasure, as far as business would permit ; but his favour- 
ite amusement was the card-table, at which he spent much 
time, and would frequently say to Mr. Cooke, who seems to 
be a dissenting minister, "I am prodigiously fond of cards." 
While he was visiting one of his patients, he was suddenly 
taken ill. His conscience was alarmed. His deistical prin- 
ciples, of which he had long made his boast while in health, 
gave way. He lamented his sad condition in most affecting 
and pitiable accents. Among other things, he acknowledged, 
with unutterable distress, his neglect of the Lord's day, and 
the public worship of God. When he was well, he could say, 
"he was easy without the Bible, he had no fears for his soul j 
— he believed it would die with his body — and he was never 
disturbed about these things — he could read profane history 
with as much pleasure as another reads his Bible." But, 
when he was ill, and apprehended himself to be on the brink j; 
of the grave, he was thrown into such unutterable agony, 
as to be bereft, at times, of his reason. In the most bitter ;' ) 
terms he bewailed his past folly — mourned over his lost op- ' 
portunities — declared his full purpose, if restored, of attend- 1 
ing to the great concerns of his soul— and solemnly warned , ; 
his companions not to follow his example — and cried unto 
God for mercy. At length, after having lain for some time \ \ 
in a senseless state, he breathed out his soul with a dismal J 
groan. If Thomas Paine was as easy and confident in his j 
deistical principles, under the views of approaching dissolu-) JJ 
tion, as he pretends, and, as I suppose, he really was, this :■ 
is by no means a sure criterion of those principles being the I fll 
only true ones. No man's private persuasion, or conviction,! II 
can be a sure test of truth. For we find men fully per- 1 |jl 
suaded of the truth of their sentiments under the most va-j jll 
rious, and even contradictory opinions. The most, there- 1 
fore, that can be inferred from a declaration of this nature, I 
is, that Thomas Paine thought his opinions were according I 
to truth, not that they really were so. Bolingbroke was ani :■! 
immoral man, and yet he too died a Deist. Rousseau had I II 
been a wretch, and yet he died avowing his innocency even! I 



AND TRE SACRED WRITINGS. 



353 



when we too must bear our final testimony; when 
the scene of life shall close, and our eternal state 
J commence. If so, 

"Nothing is worth a thought beneath, 
But how we may escape the death 

That never, never dies ! 
How make our own elections sure, 
And, when we fail on earth, secure 
A mansion in the skies." 

' to the Almighty himself. Thomas Paine is by no means an 
excellent moral character, and yet he rejects every idea of 
a Saviour. What then ! Shall their self-righteous convic- 
tions be the standard of truth? If Thomas Paine had well 
read and considered Stern's sermons on the Abuses of 
Conscience in Tristram-Shandy, he never would have pro- 
duced his being easy in the views of apparent dissolution as 
a proof that his deistical principles are founded in truth, 
j Conscience may be lulled to rest by a multitude of sopori- 
! rifles. And there is such a thing, too, as having it "seared 
1 as with a hot iron !" One of the most remarkable instances 
; of the power of conscience, I recollect to have read, is re- 
; lated by Mr. Fordyce, in his Dialogues on Education, 
Vol. V. p. 1 ; and in the Evangelical Magazine, Vol. VI. 
p. 327. If dying with ease, and a conviction that our own 
religious principles are the only true ones> were a certain 
proof of truth, and that we are right, then would the most 
absurd and contradictory opinions be proved to be true. 
How many Christians of the|most opposite.sentimcnts depart 
tins life, under the firmest persuasion of the truth of their 
principles, and the most confident assurance that they are 
going to eternal rest ? Would Thomas Paine allow this to 
be a just proof, that their opinions are founded in truth ? 
' Besides, Spinosa, the Atheist, was both much greater and 
a much more moral man than Thomas Paine, and he died 
I avowing his atheistic principles. Is this a proof that those 
' principles are true ? Shall we conclude there is no God, be- 
i cause a poor misguided man is mad enough to die in that 
i persuasion ? Because Bruno is such a fool to burn at a stake 
' in defence of the same atheistic principles, shall the whole 
I deistic system be thereby subverted, and Atheism considered 
1 as the only true doctrine? If this be conclusive reasoning, 
I what becomes of Mr. Paine's boasted principles ? How dif- 
1 ferent are men's convictions under the afflicting hand of 
1 God ! Thomas Paine continues hardened, and resolves to 
z 



35 1 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

If you are hardy enough to reject the scriptural j 
representations of future misery, give credit, at least, j 
to your own Bibles, the writings of the most respect- 
able of the Heathen. They had their Elysium and | 
Tartarus, as we our Heaven and Hell.' Nor was , 
there ever any religious institution which held not i 
out promises of reward to the obedient, and the 1 
threatening^ of punishment to the disobedient. In- 1 
deed, every government, whether human or divine, 
must naturally and necessarily do it, or there is an 
end to all order. Every law must have its sanction, j 
Accordingly,. we find Homer, Plato, Virgil,* and j 
others, have said every thing that is horrible con- 
cerning the future misery of lost souls. Our great 1 

die in his infidelity. Casper Bartholin, the celebrated Danish i 
physician, when affliction was heavy upon him, made a vow 
and promise to heaven, if he was restored to health, that he . 
would give up his medical pursuits, and apply himself ( 
wholly to his religious concerns. He was restored, and - 
kept the vow he had so solemnly made unto God. Thomas I 
Paine is restored, and rages more than ever against the J 
Lord and his Christ ! Priests, of every denomination, are j 
objects of the highest possible contempt to our deistical I 
gentlemen. One of that fraternity, who has since been j 
taught the error of his ways, in a manner much out of the 
common way, was known to declare, " He hoped to see the i 
day when there would be not a priest — and that he would J 
not believe the Christian religion while he was in his | 
senses." Though then in a good state of health, within a l 
couple of hours he became deranged, and soon after made 
various efforts to destroy himself, wishing to be in hell as , : 
soon as possible, that he nMght feel the worst of his case, j 
Three physicians attended him for some time ; and the rich i 
promises of the Gospel being held out to him, he was at ! 
length restored to sound mind, and is now a happy witness j 
of the power of redeeming grace. — Vide Evangelical Maga- ' 
zine for September, 1798. 

*The reader will find an account of the rewards of th e i 
righteous, and the punishments of the wicked, in Homer' 5 | 
fourth and eleventh books of his Odyssey ; in Plato' 8 | 
Phcedon, a? Dialogue on the Immortality of the Soul *\ 
and in the sixth book tVirgil' tjEiieid. 



\ 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



English dramatist, who has copied from their wri- 
tings, shall speak their opinions : — 

" Ay, but to die, and go we know not where; 

To lie in cold obstruction, and to rot ; 

This sensible warm motion to become 

A kneaded clod ; and the delighted spirit 

To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside 

In thrilled regions of thick-ribbed ice ; 

To be imprison'd in the viewless winds, 

And Mown with restless violence round about 

The pendent world ; or to be worse than worst 

Of those, that lawless and in certain thoughts 

Imagine howling. 'Tis too horrible ! 

The weariest and most loathed worldly life, 

That age, ache, penury, imprisonment, 

Can lay on nature, is a paradise 

To what we fear of death. 

If this, or any thing like this, is to be the future 
destiny of a certain class of our fellow-creatures, we 
shall gain little by rejecting the Gospel representa- 
tions. We shall be extremely unwise to suffer our 
probationary period to pass away unimproved. If 
our race be indeed in a state of moral ruin ; if the 
Almighty hath devised the means of our recovery ; 
if, among other messengers, he hath sent a person 
higher than the heavens to be our Eedeemer,* we 

* For a very clear and satisfactory defence of the doctrine 
of redemption by Jesus Chritt, seethe first volume of Bishop 
Porteus's Sermons, discourse the tenth, and Vol. II., dis- 
courses the second and third ; and that he is the real and 
proper Son of God, see the 14th discourse of the same vo- 
lume. The reader who remains unconvinced, after con- 
sidering the various arguments advanced by the above 
learned and amiable prelate, will probably resist every thing 
that can be said by any other writer. If, however, he is 
desirous of seeing the matter fairly argued between Chris- 
tianity and Deism, let fhim have recourse to a volume of 
sermons preached at the Temple Church by Bishop Sher- 
lock. I remember that this book convinced a determined 
Deist, who is now an eminent instrument in the hands of 
Providence for the conversion of others. I would, there- 
fore, to all such, use the words of Augustine— " Tolle et 
lege ; tolle et lege." 

Z 2 



356 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



shall be strangely wanting to ourselves if we treat 
this glorious person, and the doctrines of salvation 
which he taught, with neglect or contempt. At all 
events, therefore, let us examine well the ground 1 
upon which we stand. Negligence in such a cause 
is nearly as culpable as contempt. And be it never 
forgotten, that, on every system, a strictly moral 
and religious conduct is the duty, the interest, the 
felicity of all reasonable beings. What an idiot must 
that man be who rejects his Saviour, his Bible, and 
all his immortal expectations, because of some chro- 
nological, or genealogical difficulties in the records 
of his salvation, which he cannot reconcile to the full 
satisfaction of his mind? I had almost said, if the 
Bible were as full of blunders, contradictions, and 
absurdities, as the Koran of Mahomet, yet might 
J esus be a prophet sent from God. The reality of his 
mission does by no means depend upon the validity 
of the Scriptures,* though the Scriptures are as ge- 
nuine and authentic as if all depended on them. 

Be wise, therefore, my countrymen, to know the 
time of your visitation. Make the most of your lit- 
tle span of life. Seek truth with modesty and humi- 

F * If we have any doubts concerning the truth of the Gospel 
of Christ, it would be but fair to examine carefully all the 
other religions that now are, or ever were, in the world, 
and compare them impartially — not with Christianity as 
established in the several countries of Europe — J ut Tvith the ; 
pure, unmixed Gospel, as taught by our Saviour, and left 
on record in the New Testament, and then give the pre- 
ference to that which is most excellent. If the reader is 
disposed to -make this survey, he will find some assistance ! 
in J. Stephens, Esq.'; ; book on the Principles of the Christian 
Religion, compared with those of all the other Religions 
and Systems of Philosophy which hare hitherto appeared 
in the World. To the books in favour of Christianity, 
mentioned on a former page, may be added Br. John I 
Rogers's Eight Sermons on the Necessity of Divine Reve- 
lation ; Dr. Conybeare's Defence of Revealed Religion ; 
GastreVs Certainty and Necessity of Religion in general ; 
and his Certainty of the Christian Revelation. 



AND THE SACKED WHITINGS. 



357 



lity , with patience and perseverance, and follow 
wheresoever it leads the way. Take the safe 
side. Believe in Christ if you can. Believe in 
j him as far as you can. Examine every principle 
step by step. And should the evidence for Infi- 
ll delity fall ever so little short of demonstration, if 
1 you act a reasonable part, you will believe in Jesus, 
| because infinite danger presses on that side, and no 
danger whatever on the side of faith and obedience. 
Submit, then, to his easy and delightful yoke. " His 
I ways" (make bat a fair trial of them) you will 
! always find to be " ways of pleasantness, and all his 
paths" to be paths of " peace."* 

In our opinion, and in the opinion of all wise and 
good men of every age and nation — 
" 'Tis Religion that must give 
Sweete- 1 pleasures while we live ; 
'Tis Religion must supply 
Solid comfort when we die : 
After death its joys shall be 
Lasting as eternity." 

Though Infidelity is making its way rapidly 
among the nations, and among all orders of men, yet 
. is the cause of the Gospel by no means desperate. 
The Europeans in the East Indies are said to be al- 
most universally Infidels. The state of France is too 
well known. The same spirit is running through 
America. Thomas Paine has sent over among them, 
it is said, 14,000 copies of his deistical publications. 
But though every possible effort is making to esta- 
blish the reign of Infidelity, there are equal efforts 
at least, I think, making by good men of all denomi- 
nations, for the propagation of evangelical truth. 
The conflict is severe. But it is easy to see how the 
contest will terminate. Let every man that is on 
the Lord's side come forward, and avov himself a 
friend to the despised Nazarene, in opposition to all 

* For a view of the pleasure and cheerfulness of the reli- 
gion of Jesus, see PorUu&'s Sermons, Vol. II. p. 1. 



358 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



the powers of earth and hell. <( Curse ye Meroz? 
said the angel of the Lord, curse \e bitterly the in- 
habitants thereof, because they came not to the help 
of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the 
mighty." When one considers the present situation 
of the great bulk of mankind, whose heart does not 
burn within him to contribute something towards 
evangelizing the nations? The inhabitants of the 
world are said to amount at this time to about 731 
millions ; of whom 420 millions are Pagans, 130 mil- 
lions Mahometans, 100 millions Catholics, 44 milli- 
ons Protestants, 30 millions of the Greek and Arme- 
nian churches, and 7 millions Jews. 

The Rev. Mr. Carey, late of Leicester, and now a 
missionary among the Hindoos, says, 



Europe contains f 166,932,000 

Asia 387,331,500 

Africa 61,137,200 

America 116,621,420 



The World 732,575,120 

Guthrie makes the world to contain .... 953,000,000 



The medium number may be 800,000,000 



Christians 170,000,000 

Jews e 9,000,000 

Mahometans 140,000,000 

Pagans 481,000,000 



Total 800,000,000 

Subdivisions among Christians may be thus : — 

Protestants 50,000,000 

Greeks and Armenians 30,000,000 

Catholics, &c 90,000,000 



Total . .... 170,000,000 



Is not this view of things a loud call to the friends 
of the Gospel to use every possible means to promote 
the spread of it among the nations ? — " If any man 
love not the Lord Jesu3 Christ, let him be accursed/ 5 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



359 



J9 the language of inspiration. Are we in no danger, 
f then, from that spirit of slumber which overspreads 
I our minds? Ought not every man, who has any 
j! concern for his own future happiness, to lend a help- 
j ing hand to promote the salvation of the many milli- 
1 ons of souls, who now "sit in darkness, and in the 
■ region and shadow of death ?" The Moravians, above 
I all other people upon earth, have herein the greatest 
: merit. That small, and, in some respects, obscure 
sect, has done more to spread the honour of the Re- 
deemer's name among; barbarous nations, than all the 
Protestants in Christendom. These worthy people 
began their missions in the year 1732, and have now 
in different parts of the world, and those several of 
the most unpropitious, no less than 26 settlements. 
In the settlements near 140 missionaries are employ- 
ed in superintending about 23,000 converts from the 
Heathen ! 

A Swedish mission was undertaken to the Susque- 
lianah river, in America, in the year 1697, by three 
persons, but with little success. 

The King of Denmark sent out two persons, in the 
year 1705, toTranquebar, on thecoastof Coromandel, 
which mission has been continued to the present time, 
with considerable advantage to the cause of Christ 
in that part of the world. 

The Society for propogating the Gospel in Foreign 
Parts, and that for promoting Christian Knowledge 
in the Highknds and Islands of Scotland, were both 
begun about the year 1701 , and both have been ex- 
tremely useful in spreading the knowledge of the 
Redeemer's name. America is particularly indebted 
to these two societies. 

The Society for promoting Christian Knowledge 
was begun in the year 1698, and has been carried 
forward with considerable spiritupwards of a century. 
At present they have six missionaries in the East 
Indies, and one in the islands of Scilly. From these 
missionaries some very pleasing accounts have heen 



I 



860 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

published in the several annual reports. The efforts! 
of this honourable society have been very considers Wei 
also in the distribution of Bibles, and other religious' 
books of various descriptions. The Bibles sent out 
the last three years averaged 5238 each year ; the'i 
New Testaments and Psalters 9333; Common, 
Prayers 0738; other bound books 10,. r ,62 ; and smalli 
tracts 69,754. A charity of a most extensive, valu- 
able, and important nature! But, a principal object, 
with this society is the education of poor children. 1 
And in this, as well as in the distribution of books, 1 
they excel any thing that ever was in the world. Let, 
their annual meeting at St. Paul's bear witness. See| 
the Reports for an account of their extraordinary! 
exertions in the propagation of Religious Knowledge, j 
See also the Report of the Foreign Bible Society for' 
May, 1808. 

The Baptists in this country have lately sent out 
two persons to the East Indies, the fruit of whose 
labour begins to appear, though the mission is in its 
infancy. We are informed by them, that the Euro- 1 
peans in that country are very generally in a state of I 
infidelity. This confirms what has been said by the 
natives in broken English: — " Christian religion — ' 
devil religion ! Christian much drunk — Christian | 
much do wrong, much beat, much abuse others." 
The natives are apt to say, in making their bargains 
— " What, dost thou think me a Christian, that I 
would go about to deceive thee?" — " It is a sad sight," 
says one of the first missionaries, u to behold a 
drunken Christian and a sober Indian; a temperate 
Indian, and a Christian given up to his appetite ; an 
Indian that is just in his dealing, a Christian not so. 
O what a sad thing it is for Christians to come short of 
Indians, even in moralities ! to come short of those, 
who themselves believe to come short of heaven V 3 

Considerable effects also may he expected to arise 
from the two settlements on the coast of Africa and 
New Holland. The expectation will appear rational, 



AND THE SACRED WHITINGS. 



381 



j if we compare America two or three centuries ago 
:i with what it is at the present period, 
j The Methodist connexion under the direction of 
|J the Rev. Dr. Coke, has been considerably successful 
!|' in winning souls to Christ in the West Indies. In the 
year 1794, they had upwards of a dozen preachers 
1 employed in the differentislands, and near 8000 blacks 
' in society, besides others of different descriptions.* 

The Missionary Society in London has taken up 
I the deplorable situation of the Heathen nations with 
I great spirit, and present prospects are very promising. 
I How far it may please the great Head of the church 
to succeed their endeavours in behalf of the Heathen, 
I remains yet to be proved. f But be this as it may, 
I the persons concerned shall not lose their reward. 
The attempt is honourable. Every believer in Christ 
Jesus should throw in his mite into one or other of 
these treasuries of heaven. More noble still, however, 
is he, who, laying aside all party prejudices, and nar- 
row plans of human policy, contributes, according to 
his ability, to every scheme set on foot for the salva- 
tion of his fellow-creatures, and the advancement of 
the Redeemer's kingdom. I cannot conceive how 
any man, who professes to believe in the name of 
Christ, can be at rest in his spirit, without making 
some effort to advance the honour of his name. It is 
a black mark upon him. " Woe unto them that are 
at ease in Zion— that put far away theevil day — that 

* See the present state of this mission on a former page. 

t It is a matter of great thankfulness, that after a voyage 
of more than fifty thousand miles, accomplished in twenty- 
one months, Captain Wilson returned without the least 
material loss or injury to the ship Duff, in which he took 
out to the South Sea Islands about thirty missionaries. 
"When they arrived at Otaheite, they were received by the 
natives with reverence and delight. They had not one sick 
person on board ; and now that they are returned, the crew 
of the ship is in better health than when they first embarked 
from England. All this hath God wrought in answer to 
prayer. 



I 



302 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

lie upon beds of ivory — that stretch themselves upon l w 
their couches— that eat the lambs out of the flock, 
and the calves out of the midst of the stall— that ^ > 
chaunt to the sound of the viol — that drink wine in > 
bowls— but they are not grieved for the affliction of \ 
Joseph." | u 

Thanks be to God, that though a spirit of Infideli- 8 I 
ty is rapidly spreading itself through the old rotten 1 & 
churches of Europe, yet there is a fire kindled in the I 
hearts of thousands that shall never be extinguished, j 
till all the ends of the world have seen the salvation 
of our God. A missionary spirit is beginning to show 
itself all through England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, 
Switzerland, Germany, and America, which shall fi- 
naJly diffuse itself through every nation under heaven. ; 

Why do not our unbelieving countrymen form so- ' 
cieties, and send out missionaries to convert the na- 
tions to pure Deism? If they are in earnest, and if \ 
they consider their principles as the only true and 
important ones, they certainly ought so to do, or else 
they fall under divine condemnation. 

If, after your most serious and conscientious en- I 
deavours, you are not able to find satisfactory evi- i 
dence, that Christ came from God, you must allow, ; 
at least, with Rousseau, that he was an extraordinary 
man; one of the first characters that ever appeared 
upon earth.* See, then, that you blaspheme not his < 
name ; treat his 7 cause and interest in the world with ' 
respect ; walk according to the best light you have ; I 
be virtuous in your own way, and do all you can — I 
not to make converts to Infidelity — (because, when 
men commence Infidels, they usually become immoral) j 
but to lead your fellow-men into the paths of pietv 
and virtue, under some denomination or other, if, 
indeed, you can fairly, by sound argument, and solid 

* Most of the French philosophers, those dabblers in sci- 
ence, allow that Jesus Christ was one of the greatest geni- 
uses, and most extraordinary man that ever appeared upon 
earth. Others deny his very existence ! 



I 



AND THE. SACKED WRITINGS. 



evidence, explode the divine authority of the Gospel, 
we are so far from being afro id of consequences, that 

i we call upon you to do it. Try, jthen, what you can 

j do. Exert all your talents. Call forth every latent 

! power of the mind. Bring out your stores of ancient 
and modern lore. But— no ridicule ! no laughter! no 

I sneers ! The occasion is too great and serious. 
Come forward, rather, in all the dignity of good sense, 
in all the majesty of conscious integrity, in all the 
zeal which the love of truth inspires, furnished with 
languages, knowledge, experience, observation, and 
either honourably overthrow the cause of the Gospel, 
which we assuredly deem the cause of truth, or, like 
Jenyngs and Pringle, openly acknowledge that you 

I are convinced and conquered. This would be manly. 

I This would be acting in a manner worthy the charac- 
ter of lovers of truth. And on such men the God 
of truth himself would look down from heaven well 

i pleased. 

Atheists and unbelievers have more or less 
abounded in every age of the world. In Noah's 
time the whole human race was gone astray. In 
the days of David, the fool said in his heart, " There 
is no God." Scoffers, too, appeared in the age of the 
apostles, walking after their own lusts, and saying, 
" Where is the promise of his coming?" I remember 
reading somewhere a story of a man in the last cen- 
tury, who was as great au enthusiast against the 
Bible as Thomas Paine himself. This clever fellow, 
either to display his wit, or his fanaticism, proceeded 
in the following truly curious manner: — 

In the year 1649, as Mr. Fawcett was preaching 
in his church, at Walton-upon-Thames, towards the 
close of the afternoon, six soldiers entered the church. 
One of them had a lantern in one hand, with a can- 
dle burning in it; in the other hand were four 
candles not lighted. When Mr. Fawcett had gone 
through the service of the day, and dismissed the 
congregation, this man called to the people to stay a jf 



364 



A PLEA FOR HELIGIOK 



little, for he had a message to them from God. IS T oti) 
being permitted to ascend the pulpit, or to address f i 
the people any farther in the church, he went into 1 ! 
the yard, where the congregation collected around t 
him. He told them hehad had a vision, and had ;t 
received a command from God to deliver his will t 
unto them ; and which they must receive upon pain i 
of damnation. It consisted, he said, of five lights. 

1. That the Sabbath was abolished, as unnecessary e 
and ceremonial. — And here, said the man, I should .-.j 
ha ve put out my first light, but the wind is so high |r 
I cannot kindle it. 

2. Tythes are abolished, as Jewish, and a great fe 
burden to the saints of God, and a discouragement p| 
of industry and tillage. — And here I should have put ,7 
out my second light, &c. 

3. Ministers are abolished, as antichristian, and j 
of no further use, now that Christ himself descends ; 
into the hearts of his saints, and his Spirit enlightens s 
them with revelations and inspirations. — And here [ 
I should have put out my third light, &c. 

4. Magistrates are abolished, as useless, now that |. 
Christ himself is, in purity of Spirit, come among us, 
and has erected the kingdom of his saints upon 
earth. Besides, they are tyrants and oppressors of 
the liberty of the saints, and tie them to laws and 
ordinances, mere human inventions. — And here I 
should have put out my fourth light, &c. 

5. Then, putting his hand in his pocket, and pul- | 
ling out a little Bible, he showed it open to the peo- 
pie, saying, " Plere is a book you have all in great i 
veneration, consisting of two parts, the Old and New 
Testament. I must tell you, it is abolished. It con- 
tains beggarly rudiments, milk for babes : but now 1 
Christ is in glory among us, and imparts a fuller r 
measure of his Spirit to his saints than this can I 
afford; and, therefore, lam commanded to burn it 
before your faces."— So taking the candle out of the 
lantern, he set fire to the leaves ; and then, putting 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 305 

out the candle, he cried — " And here my fifth light 
I is extinguished." 

j! This is not the only madman whom we have known 
i! to burn his Bible. There are many such now within 
II forty miles of this place. One I have heard of, who, 
| to be more witty than his sagacious brethren, 
I roasted his Bible before a slow fire ! 

I have already called your attention, gentlemen, to 
i ! a variety of characters from among the moderns, 
'I some good, others bad, some believers, others unbe- 
! lie vers. I would wish you, however, to take the 
Bible into your own hands, and read it carefully and 
coolly over, as a book of common history only, with- 
out any regard to its divine original, and then endea- 
I vour to form an impartial judgment what course you 
( ought to take, and what the event of your present 
! conduct will be. To bring the matter to a short and 
; easy issue, turn to the thirty-seventh Psalm, read it 
seriously over half-a-dozen times, and consider well 
1 its contents. Do not be foolish, rash, headstrong, 
and reject this, and the other Sacred Records, with- 
out rhyme or reason ; but be cook deliberate, sober, 
well-advised, and determined to choose the side of 
prudence, discretion, and safety. Let the several 
historical characters recorded in the Old and New 
Testament be taken into your most careful consider- 
ation, and judge calmly of their comparative respec- 
tability, and with whom you should like best to die. 
Whether had you rather wish to die and have your 
portion in eternity with Cain, Balaam, and Pharaoh ; 
with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram ; with Saul, Absa- 
lom, and Ahithophel ; with Herod, Judas, Pilate, and 
all such like characters ; or you would choose to die 
and have your portion in eternity with Abel, Noah, 
and Lot ; with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph ; 
with Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Samuel ; with David, 
Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah,and Josiah ; with Isaiah , 
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel ; with John the Bap- 
tist, Jesus Christ, the twelve Apostles, the seventy 



300 A JPLF.A FOB. I1ELIGION 

disciples, and the other excellent men whose names ' 
are recorded with approbation in the Jewish and I 
Christian code? Can youliesitate one moment which ' 
side you would wish to take? Consider the matter 
well, and make your election. 

But, if you do already see reason to believe in the I 
Son of God ■ or if, at any future period, you should 
find cause so to do, take heed that you do imbibe 
the true, noble, liberal, benevolent spirit of the Gos- 
pel, in all its purity and extent. 

Be not ashamed either of its doctrines or precepts. \ 
Its doctrines are oracles, its precepts are sanctioned I 
with penalties of a nature the most tremendous that 
can be conceived. Hold fast the former, then, re- 
gardless of the obloquy of self-righteous moralists, 
in all their purity and extent. They form one grand, 
well-compacted system, far more glorious than the 
whole universe of visible created things. u The hea- 
vens declare the glory of God," the wonderful vari- j 
ety of creatures upon earth, his wisdom, power, and \ 
goodness: but. the scheme of saving a lost world, by : 
the interposition of his Son, outshines all the other 
works of the Divine Being that have ever come 
within the ken of mortals. " God, who at sundry 
times, and in divers manners, spake in time past; 
unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last 
days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath ap- 
pointed heir of ail things, by whom also he made the 
worlds; who, being the brightness of his glory, and I 
the express image of his person, and upholding all! 
things by the word of his power, when he had him- 
self purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of 
the Majesty on high." This is perfectly in the spi- 
rit of ancient prophecy : — " Unto us a child is horn, 
unto us a son is siven, and the government shall be, 
upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called I 
Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Ever- 
lasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase 
of his government and peace there shall be no end, 



AND THE SACKED WHITINGS. 



867 



upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to 
j order it, and to establish it with judgment and with 
| justice, from henceforth even tor ever." The beloved 
ij disciple of our Lord displays the original grandeur 
i of this Mighty One more fully than the prophet : — 
1 " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was j 
l| with God, and the W ord was God. All things were 
i made by him, and without him was not any thing 
{ made that was made." — " And the Word was made 
i flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, 
i the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full 
of grace and truth." This amazing idea of the cre- 
j ating power of the Redeemer is still more expanded 
by the great Apostle of the Gentiles : — " By him 
were all things created, that are in heaven and that 
I are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be 
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers ; 
all things were created by him and for him ; and he 
is before all things, and by him all things consist." — 
j " He being in the form of God, thought it not rob- 
bery to be equal with God ; and though he was 
God's Fellow, he made himself of no reputation, and 
1 took upon him the form of a servant, and was made 
in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as 
a man, he humbled himself, and became, obedient 
unto death, even the death of the cross. Wlierefore 
God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a 
name which is above every name; that at the name 
of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, 
and things in earth, and things under the earth ; 
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus 
| Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." So 
that, though all* we " have sinned and come short 

: * It may be safely asserted, I apprehend, that all truly seri- 
I ous and religiousty-minded people are nearly of one opinion 
concerning the great doctrines of the Gospel. They live in 
1 the comfort, and die in nhe faith of them. The Calvinist 
and Arminian, here at least, a He of one mind. When the 
Rev. John Wesley came to die, his language was— 



! 



388 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

of the glory of God, we are justified freely by his i 
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Je- j 

" I the chief of sinners am, 

But Jesus died for me." 
" There is no way into the holiest, but by the blood of Jesus." I 

"I'll praise my Maker while I've breath," &.?.[*] 
The late Mr. Toplady also appears to have been greatly ■ 
supported with divine consolations during his last sickness. 
A few days before his death he said to a friend, " O, my 
dear sir, it is impossible to describe how. good God is to j 
me. This afternoon I have enjoyed such a season, such 
sweet communion with God, and such delightful manifesta- 
tions of his presence with, and love to my soul, that it is L 
imposssble for words, or any language to express them. I 
have had peace and joy unutterable." To another friend I 
he said — " The comforts and manifestations of God's love 
are so abundant, as to render my state and condition the 
most desirable in the world. I would not exchange my 
condition with any one man upon earth." The same friend 
calling upon him a day or two before his death, he said, j 
with hands clasped, and his eyes lifted up, and starling with 
tears of the most evident joy — " 0, my dear sir, I cannot 
tell you the comforts I feel in my soul. They are past ex- b 
pression. The consolations of God to such an unworthy 
wretch are so abundant, that he leaves me nothing to pray i 
for, but a continuance of them. I enjoy a heaven already ; 
in my soul. My prayers are all converted into praise." l 
At another time he said — " O how this soul of mine longs to ' 
be gone ? Like a bird imprisoned in a cage, it longs to take 
its flight. O that I hud wings like a dove, then would I 1 
flee away to the realms of bliss, and be at rest for ever ! | 

0 that some guardian angel might be commissioned; for j : 

1 long to be absent from this body, and be with the Lord | 
for ever." At another time, and indeed for many days to- 
gether, he cried out, "O what a day of sunshine has tins 
been to me ! I have not words to express it, It is unut- 
terable. O, my friends, how good is God. Almost without, , 
interruption his presence has been with me." Near his end, 
waking from a slumber, he said — " 0 what delights ! Who 
can fathom the joys of the third heavens?" And again, a 
little before his departure — " The sky is clear ; there is no ' 

[*J Mr. Wesley held the same doctrine for fifty years pre- 
ceding his death.— Editor. 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 369 



sus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation 
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteous- 
cloud ; ' come Lord Jesus, come quickly.' " The learned 
reader will not be sorry to compare here the dying scenes of 
two or three of the German Christians with the above of 
Wesley and Toplady. Mosculus's Soliloquy before death 
appears to me in the highest spirit of the Gospel of Christ. 
"Nil super est vit(e; frigus prcecordia captat : 

Sed tu, Christe, mihi vita perennis odes. 
Quid trepidas, Anima ? Ad sedes abitura quietis ; 

Entibi ductor ades Angelus tuus. 
Linque donum hanc miser am, nunc in sua fata ruentem, 

Quam tibi Jida Dei dextera restituet. 
Peccasti ? — Scio ; Sed Christus credentibus in se 

Peccata expurgat sanguine cuncta suo. 
Horribils mors est? Fateor : Sed proxima vita est, 

Ad quam te Christi gatia certa vocat. 
Prcesto est de Satana, peccato, in morte triumpJians 
Christus : Ad Hunc igitur lozia alacrisque migra." 

TRANSLATED BY MERRICKE. 

My life decays, death's damps have seiz'd my heart; 

But thou, O Christ, art more than lifp to me. 
Why tremblest thou, my soul ? To rest depart : 

Behold, thy guardian angel waits for thee. 
This wretched tenement dissolving, leave, 

Which God's own hand will faithfully restore. 
Thy sins are many ; but on Christ believe, 

And all thy sins his blood will cover o'er. 
Is death terrific? Yes; but life is near; 

To this the gracious words of Christ invite. 
He conquers death, sin, Satan ; banish fear, 
To his dear presence take thy joyful flight. 
Theodore Zuinger, a famous German physician, when he 
lay upon his death-bed, took his leave of the world in the 
following fine copy of verses, which is a liberal paraphrase 
of the 122d Psalm. 

" 0 lux Candida, lux mihi 
Laeti conscia. transitus I 
Per Christi mcriium, patet 

Vitae porta beatae. 
Me status revocat dies 
Augustam Domini ad domtm ; 
2 A 



370 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



p.ess for the remission of sins that are past, through 
the forbearance of God — to declare his righteousness, 
that he might be just, and the justifierof him that 
helieveth in Jesus ; Christ being the end of the law 
for righteousness to every one that beiieveth." 
These things being laid together, and duly consi- 
dered, may we not exclaim with the same devout 
and admiring apostle :— " Without controversy 

Jam sasra aetherii prenam 

Laetus lamina templi. 
Jam visam Solymae eclita 
Coclo cul??iina, et aedium 
Laetus angel icos, suo et 

Augustam populo urbem : 
Urbem, quam procul injimis 
Terrae finibus exciti 
Petunt Christiadae, ut Deum 

Laudent voce perenni : 
Jussam caelitm bppidus 
Urbem jus dare ceteri*, 
Et sedemfore. Davidis 

Cuncta in saecla beati. 
Mater nob His urbium ! 
Semper te bona pax amat ; 
Et te semper amantibus 

Cedunt omnia recte. 
Semper pax tua mceiiia 
Colit ; semper in atriis 
Tais copia dexter a 

Larga 7mi?ierafundit. 
Unlets Christiadiim domus, 
Civem adscribe novitium; 
Sola comitata Caritas 

Spesque Fidesque, valete." 

How different is the spirit of these dying scenes from those 
of our modern philosophers, who usually depart this life like 
unto the Emperor Adrian, or in a manner much inferior. 

" Animula vagula, blandula, 

HocpeSy comesque. corporis ) 

Quae nunc a b ibis in I oca 

FoUionin, rigido\, nutlui4i % 

3rr. ut soles, dabis jocos 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



371 



great is the mystery of godliness ; God was manifest 
in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, 
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, 
received up into glory." 

Such are the doctrines of Christ, of which the 
apostle declares he was not ashamed, and of which 
no Christian ought or need to be ashamed, because 
they are " the power of God unto salvation untoevery 
one that believeth" in his name. And we may say 
of them what St. Paul says upon another occasion — 
j " Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any 
< other gospel unto you than that which we have 

E reached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said 
efore, so say I now again, if any man preach any 
other Gospel unto you than that ye have received, 

I let him be accursed." Harsh as these words may 
seem, they were written in all the plenitude of apos- 
tolical authority, and apply to every case where the 
. essential doctrines of the Sacred Writings are con- 
cerned. What those doctrines are, may not be ex- 
pedient for me here to say; the Scriptures are in 
every one's hands, and no man need continue in ig- 
norance of what the Lord God requires of him. 

And then, as to the precepts of the Redeemer's 
religion, they are such as have been admitted in all 
ages, and as no man need feel himself ashamed to 
own. The substance of them is :— " Whatsoever ye 
would that men should do to you, do ye even so to 
them ;"— a precept so held in admiration by one of 
the Roman emperors, that he had it inscribed in va- 
rious public places, to be seen and read of all men. 
This excellent laconic sentence is more expanded by 
our Lord himself in another place : — " Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all 
thy soul, and with all thy strength , and with all thy 
mind. And thy neighbour, as thyself." And still more 
by St. Paul :— " The grace of God, that bringeth 
salvation, hath appeared to all men; teaching us, that, 
denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live 
2 A 2 



372 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



soberly, righteously, and godlily in this present world, 
looking for the blessed hope, and the glorious appear- 
ing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 
who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from i 
all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, 
zealous of good works." May I not then exhort you, 
my serious readers, in the words of the same apostle, 
to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accep- 
table unto God, which is your reasonable service; 
and not to be confirmed to this world ; but to be trans- 
formed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may 
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect 
will of God?" Endeavour to be uniformly and con- 
scientiously, inwardly and outwardly, religions. 
Lay aside, as much as may be, all other Ihoushts and 
concerns, and let the pardon of your sins, the justi- 
ficaton of your persons, the purification of your na- 
tures, and the salvation of your souls, be the grand 
business* and aim of your life. Every thing within 
you, and every thing' without you, will oppose this 
great regenerating process of religion. Remember, 
however, this is your main concern in the world. 
One thing alone is truly needful. Secure this, and 
every thing beside is safe. 

" This done, the poorest can no wants endure ; 
And this not done, the richest must be poor." 

There is need, in this time of general discontent, i 
to call the attention of all good^men to the obliga- | 
tions we are under, to be dutiful and loyal subjects. 
The Scripture is decisive, that as we are to fear God, 
so are we to honour the king. But, setting duty i 
aside, self-interest, if duly consulted, would induce i 
every man to obey the civil government of the hap- 
py country in which we live. We have much to lose, 
little to gain, by any change that might take place. 
The ruin brought upon France may satisfy any man, i 
how dangerous a thing it is to embark in public con- 
tentions, and disturb the regular order of things. If 



AM D THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



373 



the experience of our neighbours will not determine 
us to peaceable and temperate measures among our- 
selves, we should do well to look back to the reign 
of the first Charles, when the three kingdoms were 
convulsed for seven years together, from one end to 
another. Besides the many thousands of private 
i men who fell in the bloody fray, the many millions 
of money that were spent, and the numerous fami- 
lies that were ruined, there were slain 17 earls and 
lords — 45 knights and baronets — 55 colonels — 42 
I lieutenant-colonels— 53 majors — 138 captains— 30 
j gentlemen volunteers — with about 30 others who 
were either beheaded or died in prison. The spirit 
of the times was much the same as hath for several 
! years prevailed in France ; nor were the clergy 
I treated with much more humanity— eight or ten 
thousand of them being turned out of their livings. — 
See Walker's " Sufferings of the Clergy," pages 198 
— 200. And if any convulsion should take place 
again in this country, I do not conceive that we 
should be much more humane towards each other 
than people have been in cases of a similar nature. 
He was no inexperienced man who said— " The be- 
ginning of strife is as when one letteth out water; 
therefore leave off contention before it be meddled 
with." 

When the Almighty intends to punish us effectu- 
ally, he will deprive us of wisdom, and set us at log- 
gerheads one with another. The consequence will 
be ruin to the present race of Englishmen. If, with 
the above two dreadful examples before us, we suffer 
a party spirit to drive us to extremities, we shall 
deserve all we can suffer. See the seventh chapter 
of Ezekiel. Were we united and religious, we might 
defy the whole world. 

" Labour not for the meat that perisheth,but that 
meat which endureth unto everlasting life." — " Seek 
ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, 
and ail necessary things shall be added unto you.', 



374 A PLEA FOR RELIGION. 

If you are ever so rich, great, wise, learned^ honour- 
able, if you are not at the same time experimentally 
religious, you are a miserable man. Do you want ! 
proof of this? Look inward, and look forward to the 
close of life, or turn back, and impartially consider 
the experience of* the several persons, whose decla- 
rations we have recorded in the beginning of this 
treatise. Compare them, weigh them, discriminate 
their characters ; reject what is base and unworthy 
your attention, take alarm at the warning of the 
dying penitents, and resolve, by the grace of God, to 
have a name and a place among his people. Let 
others despise and neglect the Sacred Writings, as 
their humour shall lead, do you be much in the pe- 
rusal of them. Let them dwell in you richly. They 
will make you happy in your own souls, and wise 
unto salvation. Search them, dig in them, scruti- 
nize them, let your daily delight be in them. It is i 
the engrafted Word, and the Word of God's grace 
alone, which is able to build us up in faith and love, 
and save our souls alive. Read it, therefore, as the 1 
word of God. Read it with religious views. Read it ! 
with constant prayer to heaven for divine illumination ; 
and, as oft as convenient, get upon your knees in 
secret,* with the Bible spread before you, and be 
assured you shall experience sublime and ravishing 
delights, to which the most happy and prosperous 
woridlv men are utter strangers, and of which you 
yourselves can have no proper conception, till you 
have made the experiment. Could I be the happy 
instrument of inducing you to make the experiment, 
you would bless me for ever. And you will give me i 
leave to say, that if you could " speak with the tongues 
of men and of angels," and possessed all knowledge 
human and di vine : if you could perform wonders like 

• M. D. Renty, a French nobleman, used to read three 
chapters a day with hi3 head uncovered, and on his bended 
knees; and this is the practice likewise of abundance of 
religious characters of t4ie present day. 



AND THE SAOltED WHITINGS. 



$75 



Moses, celebrate the praises of God like David, pro- 
phecy like Isaiah, write like Paul, preach like Peter, 
thunder like James and John, and offer up your souls 
on racks and in flames like the Maccabean mother 
and her seven noble sons ; if you had power with God 
like Jacob, and had the valour of Joshua, the strength 
of Sampson, the beauty of Absalom, the wisdom of 
Solomon, the zeal of Phineas, and every other quali- 
fication, natural and acquired, that ever centered in 
any of the sons of men ; yet, without a close, intimate, 
experimental acquaintance with the Sacred Oracles, 
and the great truths therein contained, all will avail 
nothing; you can neither enjoy true consolation in 
your spirit now, nor be capable of felicity hereafter 
when you die. Were I, therefore, permitted to give 
my last dying advice to the dearest friend I have in 
the world, it would be the same which Dr. Johnson 
gave to his friend Sir Joshua Reynolds— Read your 
Bible; I only should add as above— Read it daily 
upon your knees, with fervent prayer for divine illu- 
mination; and rest not till you have imbibed the 
spirit of it into the very frame and constitution of your 
soul, and transcribe the precepts and example of Jesus 
into every part of your daily deportment in life. 

The famous Sir Philip Sidney, taking leave of his 
brother Robert, when he died of the wound he had 
received in the field of battle, said, " Love my me- 
mory ; cherish my friends ;— but above all, govern 
your will and affections by the Will and Word of 
your Creator ; in me you behold the end of this 
world, with all her vanity." 

Sir Christopher Hatton, in like manner, a celebra- 
ted statesman, a little before his death, advised his 
relations to be serious in searching after the will of 
God in his Holy Word, " for," said he, " it is de- 
servedly accounted a piece of excellent knowledge 
to understand the laws of the land, and the customs 
of a man's country ; how much more to know the 
statutes of heaven ; and the laws of eternity, those 



376 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



immutable and eternal laws of justice and righteous- 
ness? To know the will and pleasure of the great 
Monarch, and universal King! 1 have seen the end 
of all perfection, but the commandments of God are 
exceeding broad." 

The great Dr. Johnson read the Bible too little, 
and other books too much. This, and associating 
frequently with men of little or no religion, were the 
main causes of his great leanness of soul, and fear of 
death all through life. He was, indeed, an extraor- 
dinary man, and an admirable judge of good writing. 
In the second volume of his " Lives of the Poets," 
p. .10, he speaks of Dryden's "Dialogues on the 
Drama" as one of the finest prose compositions in 
the English language; and at page 152 of the same 
volume,| he says, " Dryden's Poem on the Death of 
Mrs. Killigrew" is the noblest ode our language has 
ever produced. In the third volume, page 6*2, he 
tells us the most poetical paragraph in the whole 
mass of English poetry is in Congreve's " Mourning 
Bride." And in the fourth volume, page 181, he de- 
clares, one of the finest similes in all English poetry 
is that of the student's progress in the sciences, in 
Pope's " Essay of Criticism," lines 215-232. 

The more religious people read the Sacred Wri- 
tings, and the less, in general, they trouble them- 
selves with the compositions of men the better. If, 
however, the reader wishes to know what books are 
best calculated to advance the spirit of religion in 
the soul, the following have been found singularly 
useful :— Seougal's Life of God in the Soul of Man — 
Baxters Saints' Everlasting Rest— Doddridge's Rise 
and Progress of Religion in the Soul— Watts on the 
Love of God— Rowe's Devout Exercises of the 
Heart— Young's Night Thoughts— Mil ron's Paradise 
Lost and Regained— Law's Serious Call to a Devout 
and Holy Life— and Thomas a Kempis on the Imi- 
tation of Jesus Christ. Kempis, in particular, was 
a great favourite with Archbishop Leighton and 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 377 

Bishop Burnet. And Law's Serious Call has the 
! honour of being the means of the conversion of that 
| Hercules in literature, the late Dr. Johnson ; which 
! book he used, therefore, much to commend, saying, 
j " It was the finest piece of hortatory theology in 
jj any language." — See Boswell's Life, Vol. I. p. 29, 
lj 341. This book has moreover, extorted the following 
" eulogium even from the sceptical Edward Gibbon, 
i Esq., one of the first historians of the present age, 
and an unquestionable j udge of literary merit. 

" Mr Law's mastyr-work, the " Serious Call," is 
still read as a popular and powerful book of devotion. 
His precepts are rigid, but they are founded on the 
Gospel : his satire is sharp, but it is drawn from the 
knowledge of human life; and many of his portraits 
are not unworthy of the pen of La Bruyere. If he 
finds a spark of piety in his reader's mind, he will 
| soon kindle it to a flame ; and a philosopher must 
; allow, that he exposes with equal severity and truth 
the strange contradiction between the faith and 
practice of the Christian world. Under the names 
of Flavia and Miranda, he has admirably described 
my two aunts— the Heathen and the Christian sis- 
ter. — " Memoirs of Gibbon's Life and Writings.''^ 
This, I think, is no common praise! 
To the above book should be added Bunyan's Pil- 
grim's Progress — Bishop Taylor's Holy Living and 
Dying — Archbishop Leighton's Works ; and such 
other writings as are of a lively and evangelic na- 
ture. I remember, near thirty years ago, hearing 
the late excellent Dr. Connyers, of Deptford, say, 
that if he were banished into a desert island, and 
permitted to take with him four books, the " Life of 
| Mr. Haliburton" should be one of the four. 

This useful life is also the book which that great 
scholar, Sir Richard Ellys, valued above all the 
books in his learned and copious library. 

With respect to the leading and most important 
doctrines of the Gospel, I do not know that they are 



378 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



any where more plainly and faithfully expounded 
than in the book of Homilies. I have* been of this 
opinion many years, and still continue the same, 
making allowance for the language, and certain cir- 
cumstances peculiar to the times in which they were 
written. In this opinion I find myself confirmed by 
Bishop Horsley, who says to the clergy, in his 
Charge for 1760, " These discourses," some of the 
Homilies, " I would earnestly recommend to your 
frequent study, as an unexceptionable summary of 
doctrine upon these important points, and an excel- 
lent model of composition for popular instruction. " 

But, as I have said before, this should be the last 
dying advice which I would give to the tenderest 
friend I have upon earth — Read your Bible ! And, 
if I should have no other opportunity permitted 
me, I here leave it on record, in direct opposition to 
the obloquy of the irreligious, and unbelieving world, 
as a legacy to my friends and the people among whom 
I have gone preaching the Gospel, of more real in- 
trinsic value than thousands of gold or silver — read 
your Bibles, and read till you loye to 
read. Pray daily oyer them, and pray 
till you loye to pray. When the Scriptures 
and prayer become so delightful, and the time spent 
therein seems soon expired, then may you humbly 
suppose you have made some proficiency in the divine 
life. But if you can spend whole days together with- 
out refreshing your soul with some portion of the 
Holy Writing's ; if you feel yourselves cold, remiss, 
and negligent in private prayer ; or if, when you read 
the Scriptures, and retire for devotion, yen have little 
or no taste for the heavenly employ, but it appears 
irksome and disagreeable, and the time spent therein 
tedious and wearisome, you may be assured, let your 

Erofessions be what they may, and the sermons you 
ear ever so numerous, or ever so excellent, your soul 
is either wholly dead to things divine, or you axe ra a 
backsliding and dangerous condition. 



AND THB SACRED WRITINGS. 



379 



I If you have never been accustomed to this religious 
J exercise, it is extremely probable you will for a time, 
| find much reluctance to it. a grievous struggle under 
; it, and great unprofitableness in it. Be not, however, 

discouraged, but proceed in the divine employ till you 
!j have conquered every difficulty.* And, remember, 
l| these are difficulties that are common to man • that 

have been vanquished by multitudes in every age of 
| the church, and that must be overcome by you. Your 

present comfort, as well as your everlasting welfare, 
! depend upon the victory. For your encouragement, 
I call to mind the saying of Pythagoras, the' ancient 
| philosopher: — 

" Let the best course of life your choice invite, 
For custom soon will turn it to delight." 

And the similar sentiment of Hesiod, the old poet 
I — " The gods have placed labour before virtue ; the 
way to her is at first rough and difficult, but grows 
more smooth and easy the further you advance in it." 
Infinitely more encouraging still is the language of 
the Apostles : — " Work out your own salvation with 
fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you 
both to will and to do of his good pleasure." 

Various instances might be produced of persons 
who, when they approached the close of life, lamented 
their neglect of the Sacred Volume.! And numerous 
are the examples of persons in all ages, who have 
spent much of their time in perusing that most un- 
paralleled book. Moses, Isaiah, and Malachi,^ enjoin 
it upon all the Jews, young and old. God himself 
commands the duty to Joshua. It was the constant 
practice of David§ through life. And there is reason 
to suppose that Jesus Christ spent most of his leisure 

* See a fine paper on this subject in the Spectator, No. 447. 
t See the cases of Salmasius, Hervey, and others, on the 
foregoing pages. 
% Deut. vi. 6-9, ; Isa, viii. 20 ; and Mai. iv. 4. 
§ Psalm i. xix. cxix. 



380 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



in this manner. Our great epic bard hath represent- j 

ed him as saying : — 

" When I was yet a child, no childish play 
To me was pleasing ; all my mind was set 
Serious to learn and know, and thence to do 
What might be public good ; myself I thought 
Born to that end, born to promote all truth, 
All righteous things : therefore above my years 
The law of God I read and found it sweet, 
Made it my whole delight, and in it grew 
To such perfection, that ere my age 
Had measur'd twice six years, at our great feast, 
I went into the temple, there to hear 
The teachers of our law, and to propose 
What might improve their knowledge or my own ; 
And was admir'd by all.''* 
Both Christ and his disciple St. Paul recommend 
the employ to every Christian. Timothy was trained 
from his childhood in this way. And the Bereans 
are spoken of as being more noble than others because ; 
they searched the scriptures daily. The primitive 
Christians were intimately acquainted with the Sa- 
cred Writings, and generally carried a Bible about 
with them, making it their companion wherever they ! 
went. And such was their affection for it, that many 
of them have been found buried with the Gospel lying 
on their breasts. Women wore it hanging at their 
necks. Children were trained up from their infancy 
to repeat it by heart, some of whom made surprising 
proficiency. 

"Instead of gems and silk," says St. Jerome to 
Loeta, " let your young daughter be enamoured with 
the Holy Scriptures, wherein not gold, nor skins, or 
Babylonian embroideries, but a correct and beautiful 
variety, producing faith, will recommend itself. Let 
her first learn the Psalter, and be entertained with 
those songs, then be instructed into life by the Pro- 
verbs of Solomon. Let her learn from Ecclesiastes to 
despise worldly things ; transcribe from Job the prac- 
tice of patience and virtue. Let her pass then to the 
* Milton's Paradise Regained, b. 1. 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 



381 



Gospels, and never let them be out of her hands ; and 
imbibe with all the faculties of her mind the Acts of 
the Apostles and Epistles. When she has enriched 
the storehouse of her breast with these treasures, 
| let her learn the Prophets, the Pentateuch, or books 
J *of Moses,* Joshua and Judges, the books of Kings 
lj and Chronicles, the volumes of Ezra and Esther, and 
lastly, the Canticles. The book of Revelationf has 
j as many mysteries as words; I said too little; in 
every word there is a variety of senses, and the ex- 
cellency of the book is above all praise." 

The monks of Egypt daily learned some portion of 
Scripture, and more especially made it their medita- 
tion on the Lord's day ; insomuch that many of them 
became so expert and well versed in the Holy Scrip- 
ture, that they could repeat it by heart ; which is 
particularly noted of Hilarion, Ammoninus, Marcus 

* Mr. Pope, whom we have before quoted on the subject 
of the Sacred Writings, and whose judgment few will call 
in question, in comparing the discovery of Ulisses to Tele- 
machus with Joseph's discovery of himself to his brethren, 
says, " It must be owned that Homer falls infinitely short 
of Moses : he must be a very wicked man who can read the 
history of Joseph without the utmost compassion and trans- 
port. There is a majestic simplicity in the whole relation, 
and such an affecting portrait of human nature, that it 
overwhelms us with vicissitudes of joy and sorrow. This is 
a pregnant instance how much the best of Heathen writers 
is inferior to the divine historian upon a parallel subject, 
where the two authors endeavour to move the softer pas- 
sions. The same may, with equal truth, be said in respect 
to sublimity ; not only in the instance produced by Lon- 
ginus, viz. " Let there be light, and there was light ; let 
the earth be made, and the earth was made ;" but in gene- 
i ral, in the more elevated parts of Scripture, and particularly 
in the whole book of Job, which, with regard to sublimity 
of thought and morality, exceeds beyond all comparison 
the most noble parts of Homer." — Notes on the sixteenth 
Odyssey, 

t See Srictures on this book in the 24th to the 54th. sec- 
tions of Simpson's Key to the Projihecies. 



382 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Junior, Eros, Serapion, Solomon, and others. And 
by this means they were qualified to entertain their f 
souls with spiritual exercises, singing David's Psalms, jj 
and repeating other parts of Scripture, even at their 
bodily labours. At Christ's little village of Bethlehem ■ 
there was nothing to be heard but Psalms ; one could ■■' 
not go into the field, but he should hear the plough- j 
man" singing halleluj ahs, the sweating mower solacing - 
himself with hymns, and the vine-dresser tuning ; 
David's Psalms. Thus the ancient Monks joined their ' 
bodily and spiritual exercises together, and made 
their common labour become acts of devotion to God. 
Their times of eating and refreshment were managed 
after the same manner. In some places they had 
the Scriptures read at table. At other places, when 
supper was ended, they sung a hymn, and so returned 
to their cells. Thus their ordinary refreshments were 
sanctified with the word of God and prayer. It is : 
very observable, that in the primitive church not only 
men and women, but children, were encouraged and 
trained up from their infancy to the reading of the 
Holy Scriptures. Of this we have undoubted evidence 
from many eminent instances of their practice. Eu- 
sebius remarks of the gjeat care of Leonides, the 
Martyr, and father of Origen, in the education of his 
son, that he made him learn the Scriptures before he 
set him to the study of the liberal arts and polite 
learning. And Socrates makes the like observation 
upon the education of Eusebius, surnamed Emisenus, 
who was born of noble parentage at Edisna, a city of ; 
Osroene, in Mesopotamia, that he was first taught 
the Holy Scriptures from his infancy, and then human 
learning. And Sozomen, in relating the same story, 
says, this was done according to the custom of the 
country ; which shows, that it was no singular in- 
stance, but a general practice, to bring children up 
from their infancy to the use of the Holy Scriptures. 
Gregory Ny ssne notes in the life of his sister Macrina , 
that" the first part of her instruction in her infancy 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 383 

was to be taught the easy portions of Scripture which 
were most suitable to her age. He says also, she did 
I the same for her younger brother Peter, taking him 
from his mother's breasts, and instructing him in the 
I Scriptures, that he might have no time to spend upon 
| vain studies. It is noted by Sozomen and Palladius 
,| of Marcus, the Hermit, that he was so expert in the 
Scriptures when he was but a youth, that he could 
repeat all the Old and New Testaments without book. 
1 Such was the advantages which some hearers in those 
days reaped from the benefit of having the Scriptures 
! read, that it is very remarkable what is related of one 
| or two of them ; that, being of good memories, they 
j got the Scriptures by heart, without any knowledge 
of letters, only by hearing them constantly read in 
the churches, or elsewhere. St. Austin remarks this 
' of St. Anthony, the famous Egyptian monk, that, 
I without being able to read himself, he made such a 
proficiency in the knowledge of the Scriptures, as both 
by hearing them read to be able to repeat them, and 
by his own prudent meditation to understand them. 
And Gregory the Great gives a like instance in one 
Servulus, a poor man at Rome, who, though lie knew 
not a letter in the book, yet purchasing a Bible, and. 
entertaining' religious men, he prevailed with them to 
read it continually to him, by which means he per- 
fectly learned the Holy Scriptures. It is a yet more 
astonishing instance which Eusebius gives in one of 
the martyrs of Palestine, a blind man called John, 
who had so happy a memory, that he could repeat 
any part of the Bible as readily as others could read 
it, And he sometimes supplied the office of reader in 
the church ; and he did this to so great perfection, 
that Eusebius says, when he first heard him, he was 
perfectly amazed, and thought he had heard one read- 
ing out of a book, till he came a little more curiously 
to examine him, and found he did it only by the eyes 
of his understanding', having the Scriptures written 
not in books or tables of stone, but in the fleshy ta- 



384 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



bles of the heart. There are many suchlike instances 
in ancient history.* 

At the time of the Reformation also, after the Bi- ! 
ble had been buried under the rubbish of human 
ordinances for many ages, the people in this country 
were extremely eager to read and hear the Holy 
Scriptures. They were received with inexpressible 
joy. Bishop Ridley and others could repeat large 
parts of them without book. The learned Joshua 
Barnes, sometime afterwards, is said to have read a 
small pocket Bible, which he usually carried about 
him, a hundred and twenty times over, at leisure 
hours. Beza, at upwards "of eighty years of age, 
could repeat the whole of St. Paul's Epistles in the 
original Greek, and all the Psalms in Hebrew. 

Lord Cromwell, Earl of Essex, in a journey to and 
from Rome, learned the whole of the New Testament 
by heart. The excellently learned Lady Jane Grey, ' 
though executed at the age of sixteen, the night be- 
fore she died bequeathed to her sister a Greek Testa- 
ment, on one of the blank leaves of which she wrote, 
"I have sent you, my dear sister, a book, which, 
though it be not outwardly trimmed with gold, yet 
inwardly it is more worth than all the precious mines 
of which the vast world can boast. It is the book, 
my only best and beloved sister, of the Law of the 
Lord. It is the testament and last will which he be- 
queathed unto us wretched sinners, which shall lead 
you to the path of eternal joy. It will teach you how 
to live, and likewise how to die. If you apply your- 
self diligently to this book, seeking to direct your 
life according to the rule of the same, it shall win j 
you more, and endow you with greater felicity, than 
the possession of all your father's land, and you shall 
be an inheritor of such riches as neither the covetous 
shall withdraw from you, nor the thief shall steal, 
nor yet the moths corrupt." 

Queen Elizabeth, speaking of her own conduct, 
* See Bingham's Antiquities of the Christian Church. 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 385 



saith, " I walk many times in the pleasant fields of 
the Holy Scriptures, where I pluck up the goodliest 
herbs of sentences by pruning, and lay them up at 
length in the high seat of memory by gathering them 
together, and so, having tasted their sweetness, I 
may the less perceive the bitterness of this miserable 
life." 

Alphonsus, King of Naples, who did not begin to 
study till he was fifty years of age, read over the Old 
and New Testaments, with their glosses, fourteen 
times. 

Grotius, too, made the Holy Scriptures his favour- 
ite study in every period of his life. They were his 
consolation in prison ; he always devoted a part of 
the day to them ; and they were his principal study 
during a great part of his embassy abroad. 

The learned Father Paul had read over the Greek 
Testament with so much exactness, that having used 
to mark every word, when he had fully weighed the 
importance of it, as he went through it, lie had, by 
often going over it, and observed what he had passed 
by in a former reading, grown up to that at last, that 
every word of the whole ""New Testament was marked ; 
and when any new illustrations of passages were 
suggested to him, he received them with transports 
of joy. 

Sir Henry Wotton, after his customary public de- 
votions, used to retire to his study, and there spend 
some hours in reading the Bible, and authors in di- 
vinity, closing up his meditations in private prayer. 

The excellent Sir John Hartopp in like manner, 
amidst his other applications, made the Book of God 
his chief study, and his divinest delight. The Bible 
lay before him night and day. 

James Bonnell, Esq., made the Holy Scriptures his 
constant and daily study. He read them, he medi- 
tated upon them, he prayed over them. 

The celebrated Witsius was able to recite almost 
any passage of Scripture in its proper language, to- 
<2 b 



386 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



gether with its context, and the criticisms of the best 
commentators. 

Mr. William Gouge tied himself to read fifteen 
chapters in the Bible~daily. 

Lady Frances Hobart read the Psalms over twelve 
times every year, the New Testament thrice, and the 
other parts of the Old Testament once. 

Susannah, Countess of Suffolk, for the last seven 
years of her life, read the whole Bible over twice an- 
nually.* 

And that the knowledge of the Holy Scripture was 
never intended to be confined to the clergy, or to 
kings, learned men, and persons of rank, is evident, 

* There have been many female characters highly emi- 
nent for their piety and knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, 
as well as those above mentioned. I will instance a few : — 
Queen Caroline Parr, Queen Mary, Lady C. Courten, Lady 
M. Houghten, Lady Cutis, Lady E. Hastings, Lady M. Ar- 
myne, Lady A. Halket, Lady Langhain, Ladv E. Brooke, 
Lady M. Vere, Mrs. C. Phillips, Mrs. J. RatclirT, Mrs, C. 
Bretterg, Mrs. Baynard, Mrs. A. M. Schumian, Mrs. E. 
Bury, Mrs. E. Burnett, Mrs. E. Rowe, and others. See 
Gibbon's Memoirs of Pious Ladies, and Biographium 
Faemineum. In the reign of Henry V. a law was passed 
against the perusal of the Scriptures in English. It enacted, 
M that whosoever they were who should read the Scriptures 
in the mother tongue, they should forfeit land, cat el, lif, 
and godes from theyr heyres for ever, and so be condempned 
for heretykes to God, eneemie to the crowne, and most 
errant traitors to the lande. — Yide Tseal's History of the 
Puritans, Vol. I. p. 7. The above is an honourable list of 
female characters. We may therefore place them in the 
higher class of Bishop Aylmer's account of the fair sex ; for 
this good bishop, when preaching at court before Queen 
Elizabeth, tells his audience, " that women are of two sorts, 
some of them are wiser, better learned, discreeter, and more 
constant than a number of men ; but another and worse 
sort of them, and the most part, are fond, foolish, wanton, 
fabbergibs, tatlers, triflers, wavering, witless, without coun- 
sel, feeble, careless, rash, proud, dainty, nice, tale-bearers, 
eves-droppers, rumour-raisers, evil-tongued, worse-minded, 
and in everv wise dol titled with the dregs of the devil's 
dunghill."— Brit. Bioa % Vol. III. p. 239. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 887 

not only from what we have observed from Bingham 
and others, but also from the words of Erasmus, who 
contributed more perhaps than any other man 
towards promoting the knowledge of scriptural 
learning.—" I would desire," says he, " that all wo- 
men should read the Gospel, and the Epistles of St. 
Paul. I would to God the ploughman would sing a 
text of Scripture at his plough ; and that the weaver 
at his loom with this would drive away the tedious- 
ness of time. I would the wayfaring man, with this 
pastime, would expel the weariness of his journey. 
And, in short, I would that all the communication of 
the Christian should be of Scripture." 

If we come to our own time, it might be made 
appear, that abundance of the most serious and valu- 
able people, among the different denominations of 
men, spend a good portion of their time in this sacred 
exercise. I observe only, still further, however, that 
the late Rev. William Romaine, before mentioned, 
studied nothing but the Bible for the last thirty or 
forty years of his life. 

All these examples, from ancients and moderns, 
are produced in this place, to encourage the serious 
believer to abound in this divine employ, for the 
comfort and edification of his own mind. The more 
intimately we are acquainted with these writings, 
the more fully shall we be persuaded of their in- 
comparable excellence. The very learned LeClerc 
tell us, " that while he was compiling his " Har- 
mony, 1 ' he was so struck with admiration of the 
excellent, discourses of Jesus, so inflamed with the 
love of his most holy doctrine that he thought that 
he but just then began to be acquainted with what 
he scarce ever laid out of his hands from his infancy." 
Indeed, the scheme of redemption therein exhibited 
is most worthy of acceptation, admirably calculated 
to make all mankind virtuous and happy, could all 
mankind see its excellence, feel its necessity, and 
submit to its righteous requirements. Far are we 
2 b 2 



388 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



from wishing you to pay a blind submission to every 
thing that goes under the name of religion. Very 
far are we from desiring you to believe as we believe, 
or act in every respect as we think right to act. 
Prize the liberty wherewith God hath providentially 
made you free. Use your own reason, but use it so- 
berly. Beware of vain and spurious pretensions. Be 
upon your guard against a sophistical philosophy, 
the fashionable folly of the present day. To sound 
philosophy we have no objection : but when a spuri- 
ous kind of wisdom, falsely called philosophy, would 
rob us of our Bible, to which we are all more indebt- 
ed than we feel willing to confess,* we must say of it 

* Sir Richard Steel says, " the greatest pleasures with 
which the imagination can be entertained are to be found 
in Sacred "Writ, and even the style of Scripture is more 
than human," — Tattler, No. 233. We have an account in ' 
the Gentleman's Magazine, for June, 1798, of a Mr. Henry f 
Willis, farmer, aged 81, deceased, who had devoted almost 
every hour that could be spared from his labour, during the 
course of so long a life, to the devout and serious perusal 
of the Holy Scriptures. He had read, with the most minute 
attention, all the books of the Old and New Testament 
eight times over ; and had proceeded as far as the book of 
Job in his ninth reading, when his meditations were termi- 
nated by death. A still more excellent account we have in Miss | 
Hannah More's Shepherd of Salisbury Plata, which is no 
feigned character, but a narrative of the real facts, like the 
above. In a conversation with Mr. Johnson, he gives the | 
following pleasing account of himself : — " Blessed be God ! I 
through his mercy I learned to read when I was a boy. I ! 
believe there is no day for the last thirty years that I have \ 
not peeped at my Bible. If we can't find time to read a 
chapter, I defy any man to say he can't find time to read a J 
verse ; and a single text well followed and put in practice 
every day, would makG no bad figure at the year's end ; I 
365 texts, without the loss of a moment's time, would make 
a pretty stock, a little golden treasury, as one may say, from 
new year's day to new year's day ; and if children were 
brought up to it, they would come to look for their text as 
naturally as they do for their breakfast. I can say the 
greatest part of the Bible by heart. I have led but a lonely 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



389 



as Cicero said of the Twelve Tables, " Though all 
should be offended, I will speak what T think. Truly, 
the little book of the Twelve Tables alone, whether 
we consider the several chapters, or regard it as the 
foundation of all our laws, exceeds the libraries of the 
philosophers, as well in the weight of its authority, 
as in the extent of its utility."* 

The principles of natural religion are all solid, and 
founded in the reason and relation of things. The 
Gospel of Christ is equally solid and rational. It 
takes in, unites, and confirms every principle of na- 
ture, and adds a number of circumstances suited to 
the fallen condition of man. And it calls upon, in- 
vites, it challenges, it commands us to examine its 
pretensions with all possible care, accuracy, and se- 
verity. 

If the Gospel had not been agreeable to the most 
refined principles of human reason, we should never 
have found the soundest and most perfect reasoners, 
that ever appeared upon the earth, enlist under its 
banner.f That it is universally received, is by no 

life, and have often had but little to eat ; but my Bible has 
been meat, drink, and company to me — and when want and 
trouble have come upon me, I don't know what I should 
have done indeed, if I had not had the promises of this book 
for my stay and support." Let no man hereafter pretend 
he cannot find time to read the Sacred Writings. Every 
person has abundant leisure for the purpose. Find but in- 
clination, and you will soon find time. 

* " Fremant omnes licet, dicam quod sentio : bibliothe- 
cas me hercule omnium philosophorum unus mini videtur 
XII. tabularum libel] us, si quis leguni fonteis, et capita 
viderit, et auctoritatis pondere, et utilitatis urbertate supe- 
rare." — " De Oratore," lib. i. sect. 195. 

t We may add, too, that the; more active, useful, and 
benevolent characters in our own more enlightened day 
have been the firmest believers in the writings of the Old 
and New Testaments. The late John Wesley spent his whole 
life, time, strength, and fortune, in spreading the knowledge 
of Christ and his word. The late John Howard, Esq., was 
equally active in advancing the same rause, in a way as 



390 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



means to be ascribed, either to its want of due evi- 
dence, or to its being an irrational scheme, but to 
causes of a very different nature. u If our Gospel be 
hid, it is hid from them that are lost; in whom the 
god of this world hath blinded the minds of them 
that believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel 
of Christ should shine untcTthem." This view ought 
to alarm the fears, and rouse the attention of every 
man living, but especially of our unbelieving and 
sceptical countrymen. Rejection of the truths of 
religion is always in the Sacred Writings ascribed to 
a fault in the heart and will, rather than to any de- 
fect in the head. " Ye will not come unto me, that 
ye may have life." — " If any man will do his will, 
he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, 

unprecedented as it was useful. He -was a firm believer in 
the Scriptures, and a very serious and conscientious Chris- 
tian, of the Baptist persuasion. Bolingbroke, indeed, tells 
the world, that " the resurrection of letters was a fatal pe- 
riod : the Christian system has been attacked, and wounded 
too, very seriously since that time." P. 182. He tells us 
iu another place, " that Christianity has been in decay ever 
since the resurrection of letters." P. 185. The late King 
of Prussia has the same sentiment :— " Hobbes, Collins, 
Shaftesbury, and Bolingbroke, in England, and their disci- 
ples, have given religion a mortal blow."'" — History of his 
Own Times, Vol. I. p. 62. Tbese two great men are mis- 
taken. They confound pure evangelical religion with su- 
perstition. The latter we grant, and we glory in the truth, 
has received a mortal blow ; but the former is as unshake- 
able as the throne of the ETERNAL ! One of the most 
extraordinary philosophers of the present age was the late 
David Rittenhouse, of America. Dr. Rush, of Philadelphia, 
who is himself an able philosopher and a determined Chris- 
tian, observes very justly, when speaking of the decease of 
the above Rittenhouse, who left our world Jan. 26, 1796, 
that u it is no small triumph to the friends of Revelation to 
observe, in this age of infidelity, that our religion has been 
admitted, and even defended by men of the most exalted 
understanding, and of the strongest reasoning power. The 
single testimouy of David Rittenhouse in its favour out- 
weighs the declamations of whole nations against it." 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 391 



or whether I speak of myself."— " The wicked shall 
do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall under- 
stand, but the wise shall understand." — "The 
ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk 
in them : but transgressors shall fall therein." Say 
not, then, my friends, that ye would believe if ye 
could. Deceive not yourselves by alleging want of 
evidence. Tell us no longer of the absurdities and 
contradictions of Scripture. The evidence is ample.* 
The absurdities will vanish, the contradictions will 
cease, when once your minds are brought into a hum- 
ble, teachable, and religious frame ; when the veil is 
taken from your hearts, and the scales have fallen 
from your eyes. Deny yourselves, therefore. Cease 
to live in sin. Mortify your lusts and passions. 

* " Reasonable Deists cannot but become Christians where 
the Gospel shines." These several passages of the Sacred 
"Writings account sufficiently well for the infidelity of our 
several deistical ^writers. Bolingbroke, Voltaire, Gibbon, 
Paine, and most others, of whom I have had any know- 
ledge, seem to have been destitute of the proper state of 
mind for t the investigation of religious truth. " From the 
several conversations," says the learned Beattie, " which it 
has been my chance to have with unbelievers, I have learned 
that ignorance of the nature of our religion, and a disincli- 
nation to study both it and its evidence, are to be reckoned 
among the chief causes of infidelity." Alix's Reflections 
upon the books of the Holy Scripture contain a large 
number of valuable thoughts, and should be read in opposition 
to all the flimsy objections of the above Deists. Kett's 
Sermons at the Hampton Lecture sufficiently invalidate 
the sophistry of Gibbon. Much satisfactory light has lately 
been thrown upon the Plagues of Egypt by the learned 
Jacob Bryant. The Old Testament has been more lately 
defended against the attacks of Thomas Paine by David 
Levi, a learned Jew, with considerable ability. But of all 
single books, none, I think, is equal to the admirable Course 
of Lectures by the excellent Dr. Doddridge, a work which 
no inquisitive Christian should be without in his library. 
The Biographia Britaniiico, asserts that Stillingfieei's 
Origines Sacrae is " the best defence of revealed religion 
ever written." 



392 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



Part with the pride of false philosophy. live in bu- : 
mility, purity, and virtue. Be good moral men, con- h 
scientious worshippers of God, upon your own prin- jo 
ciples, sober inquirers after truth, praying for divine j 
direction, and it will not be long before you become : 
believers in Jesus Christ. No mortal man can, ra- p 
tionally, wish to reject the Gospel because it is all Is 
purity and goodness, and the most powerful means, 1 
with which the world was ever favoured, the making 
us virtuous and good. 

— " In his blest life 

I see the path ; and in his death the price; 

And in his great ascent, the proofs supreme 

Of immortality." 

For, whatever was the cause, it is plain in fact? 
that human reason, unassisted, failed mankind in 
this great and proper business of morality; and, | 
therefore, I repeat again, he that shall be at the pains 
of collecting all the moral rules of the ancient philo- 
sophers, and compare them with those contained in 
the New Testament, will find them to come infinitely t 
short of the morality delivered by our Saviour, and 
taught by his Apostles. Add to this, that no other 
religion, which ever was in the world, hath made pro- 1 
vision for pardoning the sins of mankind, and resto- 
ring to the divine favour, in a way consistent with 
the perfections and government of the Supreme 
Being. 

" Is it bigotry/' says an elegant writer, " to believe | 
in the sublime truths of the Gospel with full assurance 
of faith ?— X glory in such bigotry : I would not part | 
with it for a thousand worlds : I congratulate the |j 
man who is possessed of it ; for amidst all the vicissi- 
tudes and calamities of the present state, that man 
enjoys an inexhaustible fund of consolation, of which 
it is not in the power of fortune to deprive him." 

" There is not a book on earth so favourable to all | 
the kind, and all the sublime affections, or so un- p 
friendly to hatred and persecution, to tyranny and 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 393 

injustice, and every sort of malevolence, as the Gos- 
pel. It breathes nothing throughout but mercy, be- 
nevolence, and peace." 

Mr. Paine reflects upon the Scripture for being 
deficient in moral precepts. I defy him, however, or 
any other Deist in the world, to produce from all the 
stores of heathen writings any thing equal or second 
to Christ's Sermon on the Mount ; to the 12th chap- 
ter of Romans, or to the 13th chapter of the 1st of 
Corinthians. Let any man show us a system of mo- 
rality equal to those passages if he can. The truth 
is, Mr. Paine knows very little of the matter. And, 
moreover, what has he to do with morality, he that 
is so extremely immoral in his conduct ? Out of 
thine own mouth shalt thou be judged, O thou immo- 
ral man ! 

See the " Life of Thomas Paine," written by Francis 
Oldys, M.A., of the University of Pennsylvania, and 
that of the same person written by*Peter Porcu- 
pine. From these accounts it appears, that let Mr. 
Paine talk about philosophy and morality as much as 
he pleases, he has been, at different parts of his life, a 
very bad and immoral man. 

You will give these reasonings, O, my countrymen, 
that weight which ye suppose they deserve. If ye 
seriously and conscientiously think there is nothing in 
them worthy of your attention, by all means reject 
them. If any of you are convinced by what is advanced 
that he hath hitherto been mistaken in rejecting Jesus 
Christ and his Gospel ; or if you see ground to suspect 
that you be wrong, let no consideration of shame in- 
duce you to deny your convictions or suspicions. 
Many men have been mistaken as well as you. I 
my self, ye perceive, have seen reason to change several 
opinions, which before I had thought founded in truth. 
Every person, indeed, must naturally and necessarily 
at first be a stranger to the Gospel-redemption. Qui' 
efforts, therefore, should be made to become acquaint- 
ed with it, and to get into the good and right way. 



394 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



If we look back upon the foregoing pages, we shall 
see that several of the characters there mentioned have 
been much led astray. Through different means, 
however, they discovered their error. They acknow- 
ledged their fault. They lamented their sin. They 
laid aside their prepossessions, and sought for the + 
truth with all their skill and abilities. "They were 
convinced in their understandings ;* converted in their ; 
hearts ; they believed in the Redeemer ; obeyed his \ 
Gospel ; and, through infinite and unmerited grace, . 
were eternally saved. Why, then, should you not; 
pursue the same measures, or if you have no suspicions 
that every thing is not with you as it should be ? 
You must allow, if the Gospel account of things be 
true, it is inconceivably important. Treat it not, 
therefore, with contempt, neglect, indifference, but 
examine the matter to the bottom. Follow the ex-; 1 
ample of West and Littleton, on a former page, and 
let no man lead you by the nose to destruction, or .' 
sneer you out of salvation. Examine the evidence, 
and, with all simplicity and humility of mind, judge 
according to the evidence. And if ye are finally con- 
vinced, that Jesus is the Christ, act nobly, confess 
his name, like Rochester, to the teeth of his^opposers, 

* The reader will find a very clear and concise account ; 
of the true foundation of all human knowledge in the Let- 
ters of the celebrated Euler, the greatest mathematician of 
the present age, to a German princess, Vol. I. Let. 115, p.j 
511. This extraordinary man, second to none but the im- 
mortal Newton, was a serious and conscientious Christian,^ 
and avowed his belief of Christ upon all proper occasions. 
And while his great Master declared jthat he found " more 
sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane 
history whatever," he writes to the above princess, that 
" the holy life of the Apostles, and of the other primitive 
Christians, appeared to him an irresistible proof of the truth 
of the Christian religion."— Letter 114. For the above de- 
claration of Sir Isaac Newton, see Bishop Watson's admi- 
rable Apology for Christianity, in answer to Mr. Gibbon, 
Let. 3, p. 28. 



AND THE SACRED WHITINGS. 



395 



1 and strive like him to undo all the mischief you may 
have occasioned to others. 
We have another very respectable and honourable 
j instance of this nature to present to the reader, which 
|j has just taken place, and which others of our deistical 
jj gentlemen would find their advantage in imitating : 
i' Dr. Okely, son, I believe, of the late eminent Greek 
j scholar, Sir. Francis Okely, who is now physician to 
! , the Northampton Infirmary, some months ago pub- 
| lished an octavo volume, entitled, " Pyrology, or the 
, Connection between Natural and Moral Philosophy, 
; \ with a Disquisition on the Origin of Christianity in 
■j which it was completely exploded, together with the 
| doctrine of a future state. It has pleased God, how- 
i ever, to show Dr. Okely the vanity of his philosophy, 
j and he has done himself the honour to publish the 
•I following manly renunciation of his errors : — 

" The author of ' Pyrology' feels himself irresistibly 
impelled to make known, that he is now thoroughly 
i convinced of the moral government of God, theim- 
' mortality of the human soul, or future state, and of 
■ the truth of Christianity in its fullest extent. For 
i his voluntary error he confidently hopes to be par- 
i doned by Almighty God, through the merits of Jesus 
Christ ; but at the same time thinks it his duty, in 
: this public manner, to solicit the pardon of his readers 
for having, as much as in him lay, though he trusts 
ineffectually, contributed to lead them astray." — 
Missionary Magazine. 

We may observe upon this subject, that there are 
other conversions in the present day from Deism to 
Christianity, besides this of Dr. Okely, and those we 
have already mentioned in these papers. Dr. Van- 
derkempt, a Dutch physician, was convinced and 
recovered from Infidelity by an alarming providence, 
and has devoted himself as a missionary for the con- 
version of the Heathen. Captain Wilson also is ano- 
ther remarkable instance, who, in gratitude to God 
for his goodness to him, undertook to convey the 



366 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



missionaries to the Southern Ocean, and has accom- 
plished the undertaking with great and surprising 
success, without putting the Society to the smallest 

expense. 

We are told in the " Walpoliana," that Gray, the 
poet, was a Deist, though a violent enemy to Atheists; 
and it does not appear that ever he was changed. — 
Monthly Magazine for Oct. 1798. 

Henry Redhead Yorke, Esq. one of the gentlemen 3 
who was sentenced to a long imprisonment for sedi- 1 
tious practises, may be mentioned as another instance h 
of a person, whose mind has undergone a great change 
during his imprisonment, and he has been open and 
honest enough to avow it. 

" The vices and frauds of the professors of Christi- 
anity," says he, "have nothing to do with Christianity 
itself. To know what it is, we must look to the only : 
proper place— the Scriptures. The Christian religion 
is peculiar to itself; it has nothing in common with 
the other systems of religion which have existed in 
the world. It has God for its founder, and reason 
for its basis. It is everywhere uniform, consistent, 
and complete." 

See this gentleman's very valuable Letter to the 
Reformers for more sentiments to the same purpose, |- 

" But, if we should be seriously religious, as you 1 
seem to think necessary, we should lose all the com- 
forts of life, and become dull and melancholy." 

If this were true, one hour's enjoyment of the glory 
of heaven would more than make amends for all your 
present loss. It is not, however, true. The ways of f 
godliness are grievously belied. For there is no hap- 
piness like the happiness of religion, even in the pre- [ 
sent world ; and no peace like that of God, " which 
passeth all understanding." 

" The Men of Grace ha\ r e found 

Glory begun below ; w 
Celestial fruits on earthly ground 

From faith and hope do grow. 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 397 

The hill of Sion yields 

A thousand sacred sweets, 
Before we reach the heavenly fields, 

Or walk the golden streets." 

i "But— -I shall be singular This is partly true, 
! | and otherwise. And suppose you are singular, how 
will this injure you? You will have the approbation 
I of your own mind. You will have God, and Christ, 
and angels, and ail good men your friends. And is 
this not sufficient, but you must have the approba- 
I tion of the devil and all his servants too, the children 
! of vice and folly? Mistake not, fond man, the appro- 
bation of both is incompatible. "You cannot serve 
God and Mammon?" neither can you have the friend- 
ship of God, Christ, angels, and good men, and at the 
j! same time possess the approbation of the devil and 
J his servants, whose portion is in this life. The thing 
! is impossible. You may as well attempt to reconcile 
; light and darkness, fire and water, heaven and hell. 
But suppose you should become a convert to the 
Gospel of Christ, and be truly in earnest about the 
salvation of your soul, and, of course, singular in your 
i way and manner of life, what inconvenience would 
; you sustain ? or what real dishonour would you under- 
go ? Was not Socrates singular among the Atheni- 
' ans ? AYere not Enoch and Noah singular among the 
Antediluvians ? AY as not Abraham singular in Ca- 
] naan, and Lot in Sodom? AYere not Elijah, Elisha, 
Isaiah, and all the prophets, very singular persons in 
their day ? Our blessed Lord, his holy Apostles, and 
all the primitive Christians, were they not uniformly 
the same? — And where was the misfortune of all this ? 
— AYhen we read the story of these ancient worthies, 
don't we admire their wisdom, their courage, their 
choice, and their noble superiority to all those poor 
creatures who opposed them, and cast out their name 
as evil ? AYhat man of taste does not approve of the 
conduct of Abdiel, in Milton ? Never character was 
more enviable, or more worthy of imitation :— 



398 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



"The seraph Abdiel faithful found 

Among the faithless, faithful only he ; 
Among innumerable false, unmov'd, 

Unshaken, unseduc'd, unterrify'd, L 

His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal ; 

Nor number nor example, with him wrought 

To swerve from truth, or change his constant mind, 

Though single. From amidst them forth he pass'd, ) 

Long way through hostile scorn, which he sustain'd 

Superior, nor of violence fear'd ought ; . 

And with retorted scorn his back he turn'd 

On those proud tow'rs to swift destruction doom'd. — ; 

Gladly then he mix'd 

With his own friendly pow'rs, who him receiv'd 
With joy and acclamation loud, that one 
That of so many myriads fall'n, yet one u j 

Returned not lost. On to the sacred hill 
They led him high applauded, and present 
Before the seat supreme; from whence a voice I I 

From 'midst a golden cloud thus mild was heard, 
' Servants of God, well done, well hast thou fought l ; 
The better fight, who singly hast maintain'd 
Against revolted multitudes the cause 
Of truth, in word mightier than they in arms; |; s 

And for the testimony of truth hast borne I t 

Universal reproach, far worse to bear 
Than violence ; for this was all thy care 
To stand approv'd in sight of God, though worlds 
Judg'd thee perverse.' " 
From all these considerations it is evident that there il 
are times and circumstances, when, if a man will be [ 
truly religious, and preserve an unshaken fidelity to. 
his Creator and Ms Saviour, he must be singular ; he J 
must step aside; he must beg to be excused in a, ; 
variety of cases. He must be singular, or lose hisj -. , 
soul. Let not the fear of this odious imputation,^ - 
therefore, deter any man from exemplary piety. The 
giddy multitude, and the sons and daughters of plea- 
sure, falsely so called, may pretend to sneer and de-, 
ride; but yet, notwithstanding, they will secretly' j 
applaud your virtuous conduct. There is a certaini 
dignity, a real nobility, a secret charm, in a con- 
sistently religious character, which none can des- 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



399 



pise.* And, sooner or later, the whole human race 
will be of one opinion concerning it. 

Instead of being heroes in wickedness then, or 
| ringleaders in the cause of Infidelity (for there are not 
I a few who make a mock at sin, and glory m their 
ij shame,) let it be your highest ambition to become 
' Christian heroes ;f heroes who can forgive, and love, 
j and bless your enemies ; who can conquer the world 
and all your degenerate propensities ; heroes whose 
heads are big only with schemes of mercy and kind- 
I ness ; whose hands are continually stretched out in 
l prayer and acts of benevolence ; and who are never 
at ease, but in going about doing good to the bodies 
and souls of men , heroes^: in whom religion sits, as 

* Lord Peterborough, more famed for his wit than his 
I religion, when he lodged with Fenelon, at Cambray, was 
1 so charmed with the piety and virtue of the archbishop, 
! that he exclaimed at parting, "If I stay here any longer, I 
shall become a Christian in spite of myself." 

t Sir 'Richard Steele's C7iristia?i Hero is a little book 
worth the attention of the reader, especially of the reader 
who is disposed to reject the Gospel. It contains an argu- 
ment to prove, that no principles but those of religion are 
sufficient to make a great man. In this little book we have 
a sort of comparison between the characters of Cato and 
Caesar, Brutus and Cassius, Jesus Christ and St. Paul. These 
illustrious Heathens make but a very poor figure when 
placed beside these Christian heroes, 
i % One of the most illustrious heroes that England ever 
bred, a man equally celebrated for valour, for genius, and 
' for learning, was not ashamed to address his wife, in the 
! views of approaching dissolution, in the following pious 
' strain: — "Love God, and begin betimes. In him you shall 
. find true, everlasting, and endless comfort. When you 
< have travelled and wearied yourself with all sorts of worldly 
, cogitations, you shall sit down by sorrow in the end. Teach 
, your son also to serve and fear God whilst he is young, 
J that the fear of God may grow up in him. Then will God 
be an husband to you and a father to him, a husband and 
1 a father that can never be taken from you." This is true 
• heroism ! Such was Sir Walter Raleigh ! How different 
j was the conduct of the French and English, during the 



400 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

it were, in triumph, with all the passions in subjection > 
around her ; with all the lustre that wisdom, and i 

course of the late unhappy war on the subject of religion. ' 
It does not appear that the former have ever acknowledged 
the government of the Divine Being, or ascribed any of 
their successes to his blessing. The gallant Admiral Nelson 
very properly introduced his account of the victory with 
which he was favoured with the tremendous name, " Al- 
mighty God has blessed his Majesty's arms, in the late 
battle, by a great victory over the fleet of the enemy." j 
This was very proper; this was infinitely becoming a brave 
man; this waste insure the Divine protection. ' ; Them j 
that honour me, I will honour ; but they that despise me | 
shall be lightly esteemed." 1 Sam. ii. 30. If the French 
have been successful in many of their efforts, let it be con- 
sidered that God cannot succeed their attempts upon the 
nations out of any regard to them as a virtuous people, but i 
only to answer his own purposes, and to fulfil his own pre- 1 
dictions, concerning the subversion of the seat of the Beast, 
and to bring in the Messiah's kingdom in all its glory, i j 
The French are only the tools and instruments in the hands \ 
of God's indignation. They have yet a deal of direful work ( ' 
to do. When that is accomplished, they shall be laid aside ; } ) 
and, I hope, chastised and turned into the God of their fa- 
thers. Dr. Crome, a German writer, calculates, that the | ; \ 
late horrible war, from 1792 to the end of 1796, has cost j 
the several united powers 282,166,666/., with seven hundred L , 
thousand men, and France £20,958,3327., with one million 
of men ! At the same period he considers England alone as jj ^ 
having lost one hundred and fifty thousand men, and spent F 
93,333,8322. Is it not evident from hence that the time is p 
come when God is pouring: out his vials of wrath upon the \ 
nations which compose the seat of the Beast? — See the i, 
Monthly Magazine f (, r Nov. 1797. Some people are ex- L 
tremely alarmed at the consideration of our national debt, F 
which, being about 500,000,0002. sterling, they suppose must 1 
crush us to atoms. Let such persons, however, reflect for h T 
their comfort, that a single ten per cent, upon all the na- $ 
tional property would wipe off the whole. The permanent jfc 
and immovable property of the country, it is supposed, would % 
produce, on fair sale, the enormous sum of 2,500,000,0002. j 
The moveable or chattle property of the country is probably R 
of equal value, at least. Here, then, is the national stock ^ 
Of 5,000,000,0002. sterling. If from this we deduct the 



I 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



401 



prudence, and piety, and learning, and good sense, 
and good breeding, can bestow to make you amiable ; 
heroes, in short, whose daily endeavour is to clothe 
the naked, to feed the hungry, to visit the sick, to 
instruct the ignorant, to be a father to the fatherless, 

j a husband to the widow, and a friend to the friendless 
of all parties and denominations of men. If such is 

I your heroism, the ear will bless when it hears you ; 
the eye will give witness when it sees you ; the bless- 
ing of him that is ready to perish will come upon you ; 

I and the widow's heart will dance in your presence 

! for joy. Simple as this account may seem, it is a 
heroism to which few, comparatively, ever attain, or 
have any idea of. It will require all your fortitude, 
and the utmost stretch of your best powers. In pur- 

, suing such a line of conduct, in conjunction with your 

' temporal occupation, you will be employed usefully 
and comfortably while you live, and you will be 

, trained up for " the general assembly, and church of 

I the first born, which are written in heaven," when 
you die. Be strong in the Lord, then, and in the 

| power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, 
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the 
devil. Fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on 
eternal life." Let the well known advice of the justly 
celebrated Locke, which is both wise and seasonable, 
be acceptable in your eyes. It will assuredly do you 
no harm, and, if you pay due attention to it, will do 
you eternal good. He himself was an exeanple of his 
own precepts. For fourteen or fifteen years he applied 

I himself closely to the study of the Holy Scriptures, 
and employed the last period of his life harply in any 

! thing beside. He was never weary of admiring the 
grand views of that sacred book, and the just relation 
of all its parts. He every day made discoveries in it, 
which gave him fresh cause of admiration. And so 

500,000,000?. we owe, there will remain a surplus of 
4,500,000,000?. sterling.— Consult Chamock's Letter on Fi- 
nance, and on National Defence, 
I 2 c 



40*2 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



earnest was he for the comfort of his friends, and the 
diffusion of sacred knowledge among them, that even 
the day before he died, " he very particularly exhort- 
ed all about him to read the Holy Scriptures, exalting 
the love which God showed to man, in justifying him 
by faith in Christ Jesus, and returning him special 
thanks for having called him to the knowledge of 
that divine Saviour." It has often beenrepeatedj too, 
that, to a person who asked him, which was the 
shortest and surest way for a young gentleman to 
attain to the true knowledge of the Christian religion, 
in the full and just extent of it, he replied,—" Let 
him study the Holy Scripture, especially the New 
Testament. Therein are contained the words of eter- 
nal life. It hath God for its author, salvation for its 
end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its 
matter."* 

This is a noble testimony, both in life and in death, 
from this renowned Christian philosopher. Many 
hundred of a similar nature might be laid before the 
reader, besides those we have already selected. And, 

* The ingenious and pious Lavater, after predicting, like 
Sir Isaac Newton and Dr. Hartley, the general spread of 
Infidelity, thus expresses himself concerning the truth of 
the Gospel:— " If God has not spoken and acted through 
Christ, then there never hath been a God who hath acted 
and spoken. If Christ is the work of chance, then man and 
the whole world is the work of chance also. If Christ did 
Hot want the assistance of a God to the performance of his 
wonderful deeds, nature also can perform her works without 
the interference of a God."— See Secret Journal of a Self-' 
Observer, Vol. II. page 338. Compare with the above the ' 
death-bed scene of Garzo, the great-grandfather of Petrarch, 
who was so celebrated for his probity and good sense, that 
he was frequently consulted by philosophers, and the learned 
of those times. " After living to the a^e of 104, in innocence ' 
and good works, he died, as Plato did, on the day of his 
birth, and in the bed in which he was born. His death re- 
sembled a quiet sleep. He expired, surrounded by his family, 
without pain or uneasinpss, while he was conversing about 
God and virtue," — Vide Memoirs of Petrarch. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



403 



I confess, there is no kind of reading that is so edifying 
to me, as the final scenes of those persons, who have 
been eminent in their day, either for their virtues or 
their vices. A death-bed is usually a detector of the 
heart. And to see a fellow-mortal in the ruins of 
nature, glorying over the King of Terrors, in all Ms 
most horrible forms, is to me by far the grandest 
spectacle that can be exhibited upon earth. It is, as 
Seneca observes of Cato, a sight worthy of God to 
look down upon.* What are the triumphs of kings 
and conquerors, when compared with the triumphs 
of abundance of the children of the Most High in all 
ages? The Bible contains a rich compendium of 
these religious worthies. t The " Book of Martyrs," 
too, records a noble army of valiant souls, who went 
through fire and water, through racks and tortures, 
to their blood-bought reward. The late horrible 
transactions on the Continent have added an illustri- 
ous page to the records of religious renown.:): And 
if the same diabolical spirit should pervade this 
happy country, I doubt not but there is a goodly 
company among us, who, through the power of grace 
divine, will set at nought, and bid defiance to, all the 
threats, guillotines, and engines of the most virulent 
pseudo-philosophers^ in the kingdom. So far as I 

* Ecce spectaculum dignum, ad qued respiciat, intentus 
operi suo, Deus ! Ecce par Deo dignum, vir fortis cum mala 
fortuna compositus ! Non video, inquam, quid habeat in 
terris Jupiter pulchrius, si convertere ariimum velit, quam 
uts pectet Catonem, jam partibus non semel fractis, nihil 
ominus inter ruinas publicas erectum. — Sen. de Divin. Prov. 

+ For the dying advice and last scene of the Saviour of 
mankind, see John xiv. — six. chapters— for good old Ja- 
cob's, see Gen, xlviii. xlix. chapters — for Joseph's, Gen. 1. 
— for Moses's, Deut. xxxii. xxxiii. — for Joshua's, Josh, xxiii. 
xxiv.— for David's, 1 Chron. sxviii. 8. 9, and 2 Sam. xxiii. 
1—9.— Stephen's, Acts vii.— and Paul's, Acts xx. and 2 Tim, 
iv. 6—9 

% Vide Barreul's History of the French Clergy. 
6 The characters of philosophers has been much the same 
2 o % 



404 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



am myself concerned, whether it shall please the gra- i 
cious Ruler of the world to call me hence by a storm ' 
of persecution, by the sword of the enemy, by the j 
enmity of secret adversaries, or in the natural course , 
of providence, I, above all things upon earth, desire j 
to quit this mortal scene in a fiery chariot of divine i 
love, and heavenly rapture. It is said that the cele- 
ted Scaliger was so delighted with that famous stan- 
za of Sternhold and Hopkins in the 18th Psalm, 

" On Cherubs and on Cherubims 
Fully royally he rode ; 

And on the wings of mighty minds 
Came flying all abroad :" 

that he used to profess, he had rather have been the p 
author of it, than to have enjoyed the kingdom of p 
Arragon. j 
Be this as it may, I have seen so many lukewarm . 
Christians quit the world in such a doubting, timor- 
ous, uncomfortable, miserable manner, that I so- [ 
lemnly declare I had rather, if it please God, take 1 
my leave of this earthly tabernacle, with my faith, I 
hope, love, peace, and joy in full exercise, and go > 
with all my sails unfurled into the haven of eternal [ 
rest, than be made emperor of the whole universe. I 
well know professions like these will subject me to 
the charge of intemperate zeal and enthusiasm, as is j 7 
observed on a former page. Such charges, however, k 
I most cordially despise, and hold the philosophic |> 
authors of them in as much pity and contempt, as -j 

in all ages, Cicero has described it as accurately as if he | 
had lived in the present day : — " Quotus enim pnisque phi- f 
losophorum invenitur, qui sit ita moratus, ita animo ac vita '■■ 
constituus, ut ratio postulat ? Qui disciplinam suam non 1 ' 
ostentationem scientise, sed legem vitse putet ? Qui obtem- 
perate ipse sibi, et decretis suis pareat? Videre licet, alios i- 
tanta levitate et jastatione, uti his fuerit non didicisse me- » 
lius ; alios pecuniae cupidos, glorias nonnullos, multos libi- C 
dinum servos, ut cum eorum vita mirabiliter pugnet oratio : I 
quod quidem mihi videtur esse turpissimum.— Tusc, Disp. M 
lib, 2. 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 405 



they can entertain for the warm and zealous Chris- 
tian. I want not to quit the stage of life in the spi- 
rit of Bolingbroke, Hume, Gibbon, Chesterfield, God- 
j win, and other such like characters. The feeling, 
|) sensible, confident, joyful approbation of heaven, is 
(' above all estimation; and the praise of men of loose 
j morals, or pharisaical professions, is 01 little consi- 
deration in my esteem. I wish them wiser and bet- 
ter, and that they may see their error before it is too 
late. Several of those worthy persons, whose names 
we have here recorded, died bearing a noble testi- 
mony to evangelical truth. Their condition was en- 
viable. To many such I myself have been a joyful 
witness in the course of my poor ministration. But 
the death-bed scene, which, above all others, I have 
| either read or seen, that seems to have had in it the 
, largest share of divine communications,* is that of 
the Rev. John Janeway, fellow of King's College, in 
Cambridge, who died at the age of twenty-four, in 
June, 1657. 

If it should appear too rapturous, consider, my 
countrymen, what your feelings would be should 
news be brought that you had obtained a prize in the 
state lottery of twenty or thirty thousand pounds ; 
or, that you were left heir to an estate of immense 
value, which you had but little reason to expect. If, 
when the Israelites had passed the Red Sea in safety, 
they saw it right to sing a song of triumph for their 
deliverance, and to praise the Lord with timbrels and 
with dances; if, when the same people were deli- 
vered from the Babylonish captivity, they "went 
out with joy, and were led forth with peace, the 

* The serious reader will find the doctrine of the Holy- 
Spirit's influence upon the mind ably defended against our 
modem lukewarm professors of religion from the charge of 
enthusiasm, in Bishop Pearson on the Creed, Art. 8 ; a work 
with which every Christian should be intimately acquainted, 
in these times of abounding licentiousness, both of princi- 
ple and practice. 



400 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



mountains and the hills breaking forth before them 
into singing, and all the trees of the field clapping 
their hands if then " the lame man leaped as a 
hart, the tongue of the dumb sung, and the ransomed I 
of the Lord, returned, and came to Sion with songs, 
and everlasting joy upon their heads, joy and glad- 
ness going before them, ana sorrow and sighing flee- 
ing away" at their advance ; if when king David 
brought the ark, a symbol of the Divine presence, 
unto Sion, he danced "before it in all his might witli 
shouting, and the sound of the trumpet, while the 
envious and malignant Michal severely censured his 
pious hilarity ; if, when the same royal enthusiast* ! ; 
was only banished from the tabernacle of God, he b 
affectionately cried out—" As the hart panteth after 
the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O 1 
God ; my soul is athirst for God/ for the living God ; 
when shall I come and appear before God ? — My soul i 
thirsteth for thee; my flesh longeth for thee; my 
soul followeth hard after thee ; my soul gaspeth af- I 
ter thee as a thirsty land and if^ when this same 1 
enviable fanatic came to die, he again cried out in the t 
full assurance of faith—" He hath made with an 
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure ; I 
this is all my salvation, and all my desire ;"t if? when 
the lame beggar, who had been healed by Peter and 
John, entered with them into the temple/ he " walk- 

* It is a common mistake to suppose that none but reli- i 
gious people are enthusiasts. Enthusiasm is found in every ; 
form and species of human life. The orator and the poet, I 
the hero and the politician, the intolerant advocate for to- 
leration and the projective defender of Christianity, may 
all be enthusiasts. — See a fine account of different kinds of 
enthusiasts in Andrews's Scripture Doctrine of Grace, pp. 
93—97 ; a passage which every one should read and well 
consider, who is forward in dealing out the charge of en- 
thusiasm against zealously religious people of all denomi- 
nations, 

t What must have been David's feelings when he com- 
posed the 96th, 145th, and five following psalms ? 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



407 



ed, and leaped, and praised God," the Scribes and 
Pharisees being ail in arms against him ; if, when 
Paul and Silas had been scourged and imprisoned for 
the name of the Lord Jesus, they prayed in the dun- 
geon at midnight, and, " sang praises unto God," for 
the honour conferred upon them, and in believing 
views of the reward which awaiteth them ; and if, 
when the church of Rome is overturned, the whole 
triumphant host is represented as crying aloud — 
" Hallelujah ! hallelujah ! hallelujah ! for the Lord 
God Omnipotent reigncth !" 

If there has been, and would be, and ought to be, 
such ardent desire, and such rapturous joy and tri- 
umph upon all these inferior occasions, shall not a 
man, who has been long buffeted by the world, allu- 
red and seduced by the flesh, and vilely tempted by 
the foul apostate spirit; and who, notwithstanding, 
has been living under a strong and vigorous sense of 
" the knowledge of his salvation by the remission of 
his sins," and a sweet experimental union and com- 
munion with God, the Father of Spirits, through the 
infinite perfect obedience and all-atoning death of 
his only begotten Son, by the communication of the 
eternai Spirit; shall not a man so situated, I say, 
" rejoice in hope of the glory of God," with exceeding 
great and triumphant joy,* when he is within sight 
of land driving with wind and tide into the haven of 
rest, just upon the point of taking assured possession 
of " an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and 
that fadeth not away ?"f 

* Why not a man, who makes it his main concern in life, 
to serve God, and save his soul alive, expect peculiar mani- 
festations of the divine favour ? It is certain that the pro- 
mises of Scripture to this purpose are exceedingly strong 
and numerous, and the examples not less bo ; I believe I 
speak considerably within compass when I say, that there 
are in the Bible upwards of a hundred of these special ma= 
nifestatlons of the servants of God recorded. 

t Dr. Priestley considers these strong consolations, in 



408 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



I 



" What heart of stone, but glows at thoughts like these 1 
Such contemplations mount us ; and should mourn 
The mind still higher ; nor ever glance on man, 
Unraptur'd, unintiam'd." 

If ever mortal man lived the life of an angel upon 
earth, Mr. Janeway seems to have been the man. 
How far do the enjoyments even of lively Christians 
fall short of those lengths, and breadths, and heights, 
and depths of the love of Christ with which he was 
favoured ? To evince this, I will present the reader 
with a short sketch of his dying scene, and leave him 
to judge whether he ever saw or perused any account 
of an exit so far beyond the common run of Christi- j 
ans. And yet, by the grace of God, and a diligent i 
use of the divinely appointed means, this, or some- 
thing like this, might be the attainment of all. 

Mr. Janeway was born in the year 1633, at Tylly, 
in Hertfordshire. At about twelve years old he had 
made considerable proficiency in mathematical sci- 
ence, and in the study of astronomy, and other parts 
of useful literature. At seventeen he was admitted 
to King's College in Cambridge. At eighteen it j 
pleased God to enlighten his understanding, and to \ 
give him the knowledge and experience of evangeli- 
cal truth. Mr. Baxter's " Saints' Everlasting Rest" 
became his favourite book. This he read, studied, 
imitated. Now he knew that astronomy, with which 
he was so delighted, surveyed but a dunghill in com- 
parison of that system of things which the religion of 
Jesus contemplates. Stars, about which Mr. Paine 
makes such a pother, are but dirty clods, when com- 
pared with that glory which lies beyond the reach of 
the highest human "contemplation. He was now, 
therefore, wholly occupied with divine contemplations, 
and tasted so much sweetness in the knowledge of 
Christ, that it was discernible in his very appearance, 
and he " counted every tiling but dress* and dung, in 1 

the view of approaching dissolutions, as enthusiasm.— See 
his Observations on the Increase of Infidelity, p. 27. 



AND THE SACKED WRITINGS. 4QT) 

comparison of the knowledge of Christ, and him cruci- 
1 fied." Wot that he looked upon human learning as 
| useless ; but when fixed below Christ, not improved 
| for Christ, or set in opposition to Christ, he looked 
|j upon wisdom as folly, upon learning as madness, and 
j! upon genius as a curse, which would make a man 
j more like the devil, more fit for his service, and put a 
j greater accent upon our misery in another world. 

At the age of twenty he was admitted a Fellow of 
his College. Still, however, he went on with his re- 
ligious contemplations , andbecame so mighty in prayer, 
and other sacred exercises, that he forgot the weak- 
ness of his body, and injured his health. He studied 
much, prayed much, and laboured much in every way 
he could contrive to be of use to makind, and to pro- 
| mote the honour of the Divine Being. Sickness 
I coming on, he never was permitted to preach but 
j twice. His disorder, which was of the consumptive 
! kind, increased rapidly upon him, but yet with some 
intervals of relief. During the greatest part of his 
sickness,however,hewassofilledwithlove, and peace, 
and joy, that human language sinks under what he 
saw and felt. During the greatest part of his illness, 
he talked as if he had been in the third heaven ; 
breaking out every now and then into ecstacies of joy 
and praise. Not a word dropped from his mouth but 
it breathed of Christ and heaven. He talked as if he 
had been with Jesus, and come from the immediate 
presence of God. At one time he said — " O my friends, 
ji stand and wonder ; come, look upon a dying man and 
wonder. Was there ever greater kindness ? Were 
l there ever more sensible manifestations of rich grace ? 
O, why me, Lord ? why me ? Sure this is akin to 
heaven. And if I were* to enjoy more than this, it 
were well worth all the torments which men and devils 
could invent. If this be dying, dying is sweet. Let 
no Christian ever be afraid of dying. Oh, death is 
sweet to me ! This bed is soft. Christ's arms, his 
smiles, and visits, sure they would turn hell into 



I 

I 



410 A PLEA FOR RELIGION 

heaven ! Oh ! that you did but lee and feel what I 
do ! Come, and behold a dying man, more cheerful 
than ever you saw any healthful man in the midst of | 
his sweetest enjoyments. O sirs, worldly pleasures !l 
are pitiful, poor, sorry things, compared with one f 
glimpse of his glory which shines so strongly into my [ 
soul. Oh ! why should any of you be so sad, when I am 
so glad ! this is the hour that I have waited for." 

About forty-eight hours before his dissolution, he 
said again : — " Praise is now my work, and I shall be 
engaged in that sweet employment for ever. Come, i 
let us lift up our voice in praise. I have nothing else 
to do. I have done with prayer, and all other ordi- > 
nances. I have almost done conversing with mortals, b 
I shall presently be beholding Christ himself, that 1 
died for me, andlovedme, and washedmein his blood, f 
I shall, in a few hours, be in eternity, singing the song 
of Moses, and the song of the Lamb . I shall presently 
stand upon Mount c Sion, with an innumerable com- C 
pany of angels, and the spirits of just men made per- | 
feet, and Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant. I 
shall hear the voice of much people, and be one among 
them who say — 6 Hallelujah ! salvation, glory, and 
honour and power, be unto the Lord our God V And 
again we say, Hallelujah ! Methinks I stand as it 
were one foot in heaven, and the other on earth. 
Methinks I hear the melody of heaven, and by faith 
I see the angels waiting to carry my soul to the "bosom 
of Jesus, and I shall be for ever with the Lord in glory, i 
And who can choose but to rejoice at this?" 

In such a rapturous strain as tins he continued, full ; 
of praise, full of admiration, full of joy, till at length, 
with abundance of faith and fervency, he cried aloud : 
— " Amen ! Amen !" and soon after expired.* 

* Mr, Janeway arrived at these high attributes in the di- i, 
vine life by the constant perusal of his Bible, a frequent [ 
perusal of Mr. Baxter's Saints' Everlasting Best, a book - 
for which multitudes will have cause to bless God for ever, 
and by spending a due proportion of every day in secret d 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 411 



And now, my friends and countrymen, with senti- 
; merits of the most benevolent and affectionate regard, 

J prayer, and devout contemplation. The Earl of Mirandola 
and Concordia, who died in the flower of his age, about the 
I year 1494, after he had for some time quitted all his great 
S employments under Charles the Fifth, emperor of Germany, 
j was esteemed the most beautiful person of that age, and a 
man of the most exalted genius ; and yet, after having read 
j all that could be read, and learned every thing that could 
be learned, wrote to his nephew, an officer in the army, in 
j a style worthy of the above example of Janeway : — " I 
j make it my humble request to you," says he, " that you 
would not fail to read the Holy Scriptures night and morn- 
ing with great attention ; for as it is our duty to meditate 
upon the law of God day and night, so nothing can be more 
useful ; because there is in the Holy Scriptures a celestial 
I and efficacious power, inflaming the soul with divine fear 
j and love," Our celebrated Spencer, though a man of dissi- 
pation in his youth, in his more advanced years entered in- 
to the interior of religion, and in the two hymns on hea- 
j venly love, and heavenly beauty, hath expressed all the 
heigiith and depth of Janeway's experience : — 
Then shalt thou feel thy spirit so possest, 
And ravish' d with devouring great desire 
Of his dear self, that shall thy feeble breast 
Inflame with love, and set thee all on fire 
With burning zeal, through every part entire, 
That in no earthly thing thou shalt delight, 
But in his sweet and amiable sight. — 
Then shall thy ravish'd soul inspired be 
With heavenly thoughts, far above human skill, 
And in thy bright radiant eyes shall plainly see 
The idea of his pure glory present still 
Before thy face, that all thy spirits shall fill 
With sweet enragement of celestial love, 
Kindled through sight of those fair things above." 
Spencer's religion, we see from the above extract, is, like 
that of the Quaker's, " a religion of feeling." This, too, is 
unquestionably the religion of the Bible. "Whom having 
! not seen ye love ; in whom though now ye see him not, yet 
believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 
— See this subject considered at some length in Mr. Wil- 
berforce's Practical View, chap. iii. sec. 2 and 8. The 
same devout and heavenly spirit breathes strongly in all 



I 



412 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



both for you, and every human being, whether Jew, 
Turk, Infidel, Heretic, or Christian, I submit these 
reflections, concerning Religion and the Sacred Wri- 
tings, to your most serious considerations. What 
impression they may make upon your minds, is 
known only to the God of the spirits of all flesh.* 

the old ascetic authors, Augustine is famous for it ; so 
were several others. of the ancient fathers of the church, 
Thomas a Kempis is excelled by none in this way. Ber- 
nard is very pious. His hymn on the name of Jesus is in a 
high strain of this kind : — 

" Desidero ie millies, 

Mi/ Jesus ? quando venies ? 

Me laetum quando facies ? 

Me de te quando saties?" 
St. Agustine's hymn, which begins — 

" Ad perennis vitae fontem 

Mens sitivit arida" — 

is in the same strain ; and has been imitated in that favourite 
old hymn recorded in the Pilgrim's Guide:" — 

"Jerusalem, my happy home, 
O that I were in thee ; 

O would my woes were at an end, 
Thy joys that I might see!" &c. &c. 
Almost every thing of this kind, however, which has been ' 
left us by our forefathers is written in a style highly depraved, i 
and is equally devout and superstitious. The pious reader, J 
therefore, will be upon his guard in the perusal of such j 
authors, and take the good, and cast the bad away. The j 
Bible alone is free from human weakness. 

* If the reader should find himself dissatisfied with the j 
" Plea for Religion and the Sacred Writings," which is here | 
put into his hand, let him by no means give up the cause as ' 
desperate, but rather let him lay it aside, and have recourse j 
to those more able and explicit treatises which I have occa- 
sionally recommended in the notes. Or, if he thinks himself 
capable of rendering a more effectual service to the cause of 
evangelical truth, let him take up his own pen, and confound 
the enemies of religion. Learned laymen especially, should L 
come forward in vindication of the Gospel ! since every | 
thing which springs from the clergy on religion is supposed 
to spring from a self-interested source. Mr. Wilberforce has 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



413 



My earnest request to you is, that you will give them 
a fair and dispassionate hearing, and seek truth, at 

j done himself much honour. He is a bold and able advocate 
i for a much injured cause. Nor less so is the excellent Miss 
,! Hannah More. She is a credit to her sex, and a blessing to 
' her country. It is scarcely possible, however, for authors on 
this subject to be too numerous. We are not wanting in 
| clerical writers ; but those who have treated on subjects 
purely religious, among the other ranks of society are com- 
paratively few ; and especially among the princes and nobles 
of the land. Mr. Horace Walpole has given us a catalogue of 
the royal and noble authors of England, Scotland, and Ire- 
land, since the conquest ; and, I think, he produces, during 
all those ages, only ten English princes, ninety-two peers, 
and fourteen peeresses. To these he adds twenty-four 
Scotch royal and noble authors, with eleven Irish peers — in 
all about one hundred and fifty— a small number, when it 
) is considered that they are usually the best educated men 
in the country. In Germany have been published, in the 
course of six years, from 1785 to 1790, no less afrmmber than 
. 27,372 books on the following subjects, and in these pro- 



portions : — 

1 General Literature 68 

2 Philology 1527 

3 Divinity 4863 

4 Jurisprudence 2158 

5 Medicine and Surgery 1898 

6 Metaphysics and Moral Philosophy 965 

7 Education 506 

8 Politics and Finance 1885 

9 Military Sciences 154 

10 Physics and Natural History 1729 

11 Arts and Manufactures 1100 

12 Mathematics 581 

13 Geography and History 4779 

14 Belles Lettres 3798 

15 History of Literature 762 

16 Miscellaneous 689 



27,372 

Gent. Mag. Feb. 1796, p. 147. 

From the Monthly Magazine for June, 1798, it appears, 
that the average number of books published in Germany, 
from 1785 to the close of the year 1797, is 5360 annually. 



i 

414 A PLEA FOR RELIGION" 

least, with as much warmth and assiduity as we usu- i 
ally employ in our secular pursuits. No man ever 
succeeded greatly in life, who did not embark zea- j 
lously in its concerns. No man ever became a good 
scholar, without much time and application. And > 
no man ever made any considerable proficiency in ( 
things divine, till all the leading powers of his soul ; 
were engaged therein. Permit me, then, to exhort 
you to be in earnest in your religious enquiries. Ap- ; 
ply your minds with zeal and impartiality to the [ 
investigation of sacred wisdom. This is the concern, F 
the duty, the privi ege, the glory of every human 
being. The most ancient and sublime author in the ft 
world hath exhausted all the treasures of nature to 
express its intrinsic value :— " Where shall Wisdom P 
be found ? and where is the place of Understanding ? ; 
Man knoweth not the price thereof ; neither is it found 
in the land of the living. The depth saith, It is not f 
in me ; and the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot 
be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for j 
the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold 1 
of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. ; 
The gold and the chrystal cannot equal it ; and the I 
exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold, j 
No mention shall be made of coral or of pearls ; for 
the price of Wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of J 
Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued ■ 
with pure gold. Whence, then, cometh Wisdom? ; 
and where is the place of Understanding ?— Behold, 
the fear of the Lord, that is Wisdom ; and to depart 
from evil is Understanding." 

If such is the value of wisdom, the search will un- 
doubtedly repay the labour. But have we any assur- 1 
ance that the inestimable treasure may be found? , 
The wisest of men will answer to our satisfaction, j 
" My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my h 
commandments with thee, so that thou incline thine 
ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understand- 
ing j yea, if thou cries t after knowledge, and liftest 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 415 



up thy voice for understanding : if thou seekest her 
I as silver, and searchest for her as hid treasures, then 
ii shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find 
|! the knowledge of God— thou shalt understand right- 
jj eousness, and judgment, and equity ; yea, every good 
J path." All this implies the greatest possible attention 

to our religious concerns. 
I With these fine sentiments I take my leave," com- 
mending you to God, and to the word of his grace, 
which is able to build you up," if you will submit to 
its authority," and to give you an inheritance among 
all them that are sanctified." If you are right in your 
present state of mind, may you continue in the right 
way to the end of your days, and increase and abound 
therein more and more. I think, however, you should 
j be extremely cautious how you contradict and bias- 
' pheme what so many wise and good men esteem the 
truth of God, lest that come upon you which is spo- 
I ken of in the prophets— " Behold, ye despisers, and 
wonder, and perish !" Speaking modestly, your situa- 
tion is not altogether without danger. It is impos- 
sible you should be perfectly satisfied that all is as 
you could wish.* 

" Since then we die but once, and after death 

Our state no alteration knows, 

Bat when we have resigned our breath, 

The immortal spirit goes 

To endless joys, or everlasting woes ; 

Wise is the man who labours to secure 

That might}'- and important stake, 

And by aH«methods strive to make 

His passage safe, and his reception sure." 

* He was no inconsiderable man who said, " To doubt 
j of the Gospel is folly ; to reject it is madness."— Jortin's 
Sermons, Vol. IV. p. 111. Let the sceptical reader consult 
I Dr. Robertson's (the historian) very sensible Discourse on 
I the situation of the world at the time of Christ's appearance, 
and its connection with the success of his religion. A con~ 
scientious reader cannot fail of being edified by such a dis- 
course. 



416 



A FLEA FOR RELIGION 



As to myself, I am thoroughly satisfied with that 
God, Redeemer, and that Sanctiner which the Chris- 
tian Scriptures hold out to the view and acceptance 
of mankind. I am perfectly pleased with those Scrip- 
tures,* and with all the divine dispensations therein 

* When I have spoken above in such strong terms of the 
volume of Revelation, it is by no means intended to cast 
any slight upon the volume of Nature. While we daily study 
the former, we shall do well to pay all due attention to the 
latter, according to our opportunities of investigation. To 
an enlightened observer, they both carry indubitable marks 
of their great original. " The heavens declare the glory of [ 
God, and the earth is full of riches." The most, perfect 
catalogue of stars, before the ingenious and indefatigable Dr. 
Herschel appeared, did not contain quite 5000 ; but by the [ 
vast superiority of his glasses, he hath discovered 44,000 stars 
in a few degrees of the heavens ;* and by the same propor- 
tion it is supposed, that 75,000,000 are exposedin the expanse 1 
to human investigation^ All these stars are of a fiery nature, 
and conjectured to be so man3 r suns with their system of 
planets moving round them. We know the sun to be the | 
centre of our system. It is accompanied with 19 planets, i 
besides about 450 comets. What an amazing idea does this I 
give us of the works of God ! and if such is the work, what 
must the Workman be ! Every part of nature, moreover, 
with which we are acquainted, is full of living creatures, 
with stores of every kind to supply their necessities. This | 
little globe of ours is known to contain within its bowels a 
great variety of valuable minerals, and to be covered with j 
about 20,000* different species of vegetables, 8000 species of 
worms, 12,000 species of insects, 200 species of amphibious i 
animals, 550 species of birds, 2600 species of fish, and 200 j, 
species of quadrupeds. How immense, then must be the j 
number of individuals ! One fly is found to bring forth 2000 j 
at a time, and a single cod fish to produce considerably more j 
than three millions and a half of young. Nay, Leewenhock 
tells us, that there are more animals in the milt of a single 

* See the Dissertations of Dr. Herschel. relative to his 
brilliant portion of the heavens, in the PhilosopMcal 
Transactions. 

\ Jerome de Lalande, Director of the French Observatory, ; 
supposes that a glass of Herschel's powers may discover 90 
millions of stars in the whole surface of the face of the 



AND THE SACRED WRITINGS. 



417 



recorded. Our God hath done, is doing, and will do 
i all things well. It is altogether fit he should govern 

cod fish than there are men upon the whole earth. Over 
ll all these creatures preside upwards of 730 millions of human 
! b< ings. Such is the family of the Great Father here upon 
I earth ! And when it is considered that the earth itself, with 
| all its furniture, is no more, when compared with the whole 
'• system of things, than a single grain of sand, when compared 
with a huge mountain, we are lost in the immensity of God's 
works, and constrained to cry out, " Lord, what is man, that 
thou art mindful of him ; or the son of man, that thou 
visitest him ?" And if to this immensity of the works of 
creation we add the admirable structure of the whole, and 
the exquisite perfection of every part, we shall not fail of 
be ng exceedingly affected with the ineffable wisdom of the 
Divine Architect. To bring this consideration more within 
I the grasp of human comprehension, let us take it, as it were, 
' to pieces, and examine the several jjarts of any one creature 
I which God hath made, and we shall find a perfection among 
its several powers, and an adaptation to its situation in the 
| grand scale of existence, far surpassing human skill. Let 
the most perfect anatomist that ever existed make his obser- 
vations upon the human frame ; let him examine with the 
greatest possible attention the tout ensemble of the structure ; 
then let him proceed to the several parts of which the mi- 
crocosm is composed : first, the powers of the mind — the 
understanding, the will, the memory, the conscience, and 
the various affections : next, the five senses — the touch, the 
taste, the smell, the hearing, and the sight: afterwards let 
him proceed to the several fluids of the body ; and then to 
the 400 bones, the 40 different sorts of glands, the 466 muscles, 
the 40 pair of nerves, the fibres, the membranes, the arteries, 
the veins, lymphae.ducts, the excretory vessels, the tendons, 
\ the ligaments, the cartilages ; and let him explore the whole 
and every part with the greatest degree of accuracy, know- 
| ledge, and judgment, that ever entered into man ; and then 
! let him honestly say whether he could suggest the smallest 
imprcvament in any one respect If he were an Atheist 
before such investigation, like the celebrated Galen, he would 
be converted to the belief of the Divine Existence, would 

heavens, and that even this number is but small, in com- 
parison of what exists. — Monthly Magazine for Oct. 1798, 
p. 265. 

2 D 



m 



A PLEA FOR RELIGION 



his own world, and bow the rebellious nations to his 
sway. Tlie present degenerate state of Christendom 
is too disgraceful to his goverment, to be permitted to j 
continue beyond the predicted period. He will, there- 
fore, arise and plead his own cause, and all the wick- j 
edness of men, and the convulsions and distresses of 
nations shall wind up to his eternal credit. " The ■ 
Lord is king, be the people never so impatient: he 
sitteth between the Cherubim, be the earth never so 
unquiet." His *3ospel is no other than the plan de- 
vised by infinite wisdom for the melioration of man- 
kind. The immortal seed is sown ; the principle of j 
life has vegetated j the little leaven is diffusing itself 
far and wide. Much has been done, much is doing, , 
much shall be done. Millions of reasonable creatures j 
have already found eternal rest in consequence of the j 
Redeemer's dying love ; multitudes of souls at this 
moment are happy in their own bosoms under a sense 
of the divine favour ; and innumerable myriads of , 
men shall arise, believing in his name, trusting in i 
his mediation, and rejoicing in his salvation, maugre | 
all the opposition of fallen Christians and apostate \ 
spirits. Wise and gTacious is the Divine Being in | 
all his ways, and I rejoice that he is the Governor j 
among the people. To his service I avowedly devote i 
my feeble powers, as long as he shall vouchsafe me E 
the exercise of them ; nor will I cease to speak the v 
honours of his Majesty while the breath continues 
to actuate this mortal frame. 

compose a hymn in praise of the Creator of the world, and 

sing with the great Progenitor of mankind: — 

" These are thy glorious works, Parent of good ; 
Almighty, thine this universal frame, 
Thus wondrous fair : Thyself how wondrous then 
Unspeakable ! who sittest above these heavens, 
To us invisible, or dimly seen 
In these thy lowest works ; yet these declare 
Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine !" 



APPENDIX I. 



The Reformation contended for in these papers is a 
peaceable reform, begun and carried on by the wis- 
dom of the three branches of the constitution, as far 
as the constitution is concerned : and by the bishops 
j and clergy, of every denomination, so far as the mo- 
! ral and religious conduct of the people is concerned. 
The absolute necessity of such reformation is founded 
on the prophetic declarations of Daniel before re- 
peatedly mentioned. The nature of the reformation 
which I conceive to be necessary to our lasting pre- 
servation as a kingdom, is, that whatever militates 
against the genuine spirit of Christ's religion in the 
establishment should be removed ; and that all orders 
of clerical characters, especially, should set them- 
selves, with the utmost zeal and determination, first 
to reform themselves, and then to stop the torrent of 
iniquity, which threatens to involve the country in 
the most complete destruction. The Dissenters and 
I Methodists are moving heaven and earth to promote 
the cause of religion in their respective ways. If the 
eighteen thousand clergymen in the establishment 
would exert themselves for the good of souls with 
equal zeal and fervour, the established church would 
not only be the safer as an establishment, but the 
divine protection would be more effectually engaged 
on our behalf. Righteous nations never fall.* U,n- 

* Among other unfavourable signs of the times, the vast 
number of bankruoteies in this kingdom is none of the least. 
2 i) 2 



420 



APPENDIX I. 



fortunately, however, numbers of our order of men 
are the greatest enemies to the country and religion. 
We promote the interest of Satan more effectually by 
our indolence, worldly-mindedness, lukewarmness, 
and misconduct, than all the wicked and immoral 
characters in the kingdom put together. Only think! 
eighteen thousand men, led on by six-and-twenty 
bishops,?and filled with faith and "the Holy Ghost, 
with an ardent love to Jesus Christ, and with a judi- 
cious, but warm and affectionate zeal for the salva- 
tion of souls, paid by the state, and sent out into 
every corner of the land to preach the everlasting 
Gospel! What a glorious consideration! How should 
we make the ungodly and profane skulk into corners, 
and hide their impious heads ! But, alas ! " how is 
the gold become dim ! how is the most fine gold chang- 
ed ! for from the prophets of Jerusalem is prof aneness 

I suppose we average six or seven hundred every year, be- 
sides all the composition businesses, which are still more 
numerous. But what I here chiefly refer to, as a proof of 
depraved morals, is, that of all circumstances of defraud, 
intentional or otherwise, practised upon the public, an in- 
stance of after-payment is rarely recorded; and whenever 
such an instance occurs, it is always spoken of with asto- 
nishment, as a thing not to be expected. If a man goes upon 
the high road, or breaks iijto your house, and robs you of a 
few pounds, he is infamous ; and if he can be caught and 
arraigned, and the thing proved, he atones for the offence 
at the expence of his life. But a man, in a way of trade, 
shall cheat you of hundreds and thousands, shall pay you 
ten, five, or even only two shillings in the pound, yet he is 
a good fellow, a man of honour, he begins again, keeps it 
up, cuts a dash, cracks again, and all is well. He never 
dreams, that upon every principle of justice, honour, and 
conscience, he is as much a debtor for all his deficiencies, as 
though the .law had never acquitted him. What an accumu- 
lation of guilt is upon this land on these accounts? Of the 
many thousands in this country, who fall short of their pay- 
ments, how few, how extremely few, do we meet with, or 
hear of, who afterwards, like the most worthy Rayner, call 
their creditors together, and pay them what, indeed, is justly 
due, but what ther never could demand. 



APPENDIX I. 



421 



gone forth into all the land." Dissenters are increas- 
ing, Methodists are multiplying, wickedness is spread- 
ing, our churches are emptying, infidelity is pervading 
all orders of society, " and the daughter of Zion is" 
like to be " left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge 
in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city." We 
may look at the neighbouring nations, and learn, at 
their expense, what our own fate will assuredly be, ere 
long. Who.is so blind ? who is so ignorant ? who is 
so selfish and secure ? who is so unread in history ? 
who is so unacquainted with the prophecies as not to 
know that the salvation of Europe is suspended on its 
wisdom, in correcting what is amiss in its morals, and 
mievangelical in its ecclesiastical constitutions? 

It should seem, however, no twithstanding the grow- 
ing immorality of the age, and the other alarming 
symptoms of our nation, that the Governor of the 
armies of heaven, and the inhabitants upon earth, hath 
still a favour to dear old England. He is loath to 
give us up. The wise and vigorous measures pursued 
by the king and Ms ministers are surely tokens for 
good to my country. The late very splendid victories 
are propitious signs. The Acts, too, for excluding 
suspicious foreigners, and arming the whole nation, 
are master-pieces of sound policy. Hitherto assured- 
ly the Lord hath helped us. He hath given us a 
patriotic king, able ministers, skilful generals, un- 
paralleled admirals, and gallant sailors : above all, he 
hath poured out a spirit of wrestling prayer upon 
large numbers of religious people. These are symp- 
toms of the most propitious kind. But, with all 
these advantages, since God usually works by means, 
how is it possible for any country, that is not in a 
constant high state of preparation, to resist such a 
mighty armed and growing republic as France ? If 
the people in this kingdom will not very generally 
come forward and qualify themselves for resistance, 
we must ultimately fall. But if we should share the 
fate of the other nations, there will be no just reason 



422 



APPENDIX I. 



to accuse the government. The war was inevitable j 
on our part. It was, moreover, ordained of Gcd for 
the subversion of the seat of the Beast.* They have 
been extremely vigorous in their measures, and have 
done what men in their situation could do. Let the 
people remember, that we live in a period, when one of 
God's great and afflictive providential dispensations 
is coming upon the world; a dispensation predicted 
for some thousands of years; and let them second the 
endeavours of their governors, and come forward, man, 
woman, and child, to defend themselves against the 
common enemy, as they would against an army of 
bears, wolves, and tigers, and we shall be safe under 
the divine protection, while that protection is afford- 
ed. But, in my opinion, every remaining popish, 
secular, and superstitious circumstance, which is cal- 
culated to offend the Majesty of Heaven, and to 
oppose the interests of Christ's kingdom,! should be 

* It has been noticed on a former page, that the pope 
and Mahomet rose in or about the same year. The former 
is driven from his seat exactly at the end of 1260 years. 
And is it not a circumstance extremely remarkable, that 
the very same man, in the very same year, should invade 
the empire of the latter during a state of profound peace, 
seemingly without any reason ? Yv'e know the Turk is to 
fail, and we have some cause to suppose the period of that 
catastrophe will be at no great distance from the subversion 
of the pope's secular dominion. I fear we shall be on the 
wrong side of the question, if we attempt to support either 
him or the remaining popish states, and shall suffer for our 
intermeddling. 

t What can be more inimical to the interests of the Gos- 
pel of Christ in the world, than .the damnable monopoly of 
church livings, so extremely common among all the higher 
orders of the clergy in this country ? More than one 
instance of this nature is given in the foregoing papers. To 
these may be added the following: — A certain clerical cha- 
racter, whom I could name, is at this time in possession of 
7001. a year private fortune. He is a tippling immoral per- 
son, with little or no family, besides his wife. One living 
he has got, at a good distance ,of G007. a year, besides two 



APFEXDIX I. 



removed from the ecclesiastical part of our constitu- 
tion, and nothing should be left undone to engage Ids, 
continual favour and protection. 

The Dissenters and Methodists, I have observed, 
are moVing heaven and earth to promote the inter- 
ests of religion in their several ways, and to oppose 
the torrent of vice and infidelity, which is over- 
spreading these happy and heaven-favoured lands. 
A kind of association has been formed among some 
of the established clergy at Manchester, to preach a 
weekly lecture in each other's churches, which, no 
doubt, will be attended with good effect. This is a lau- 
dable effort, and shows a proper attention to the cir- 
cumstances of the times,* and should be followed in 
all populous towns. We ought everyone to step out 
of the routine of our accustomed methods of doing 
good, and strive with a peculiar energy to save our 
people's souls from death, and our beloved country 
from ruin. An association of Protestant Dissenters, 
of different denominations, has also been formed at 
Bedford.! About thirty ministers in that neigh- 
bourhood are already engaged to co-operate in 

rectories, one of 500Z., the other of 8051. a year. At the 
same time, he has obtained a prebendary of considerable 
value in one of our magnificent cathedrals. Will any wise 
man undertake to say, that a clergyman of this description 
believes in the Gospel of Christ ? All such characters are 
undoubted infidels in disguise, do an infinite deal of harm 
to rue infests of religion in the world, and, in a well ordered 
state of tilings, would be degraded for their pretended sacred 
office. Such men may cry out as loudly as they please 
agaist Thomas Paine and his deistical brethren— their craft 
is in danger! but they themselves are much more to blame, 
and shall be condemned with tenfold confusion. Thomas 
Paine is a saint when compared with such fellows. 

* Something similar to this has likewise been practised 
for some years by several pious and respectable clergymen 
in the metropolis. 

t Consult Mr. Grpatheed's Sermon at Bedford on General 
Union, a valuable discourse. 



4*24 APPENDIX I. 

spreading the knowledge of the Gospel through all , 
the towns and villages in that vicinity, upon the 
most liberal plan. The same kind of associations 
are formed also in Kent, Dorsetshire, Surrey, Suf- 
folk, Lancashire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Northum- 
berland, and will probably in a little time pervade 
the whole of the'three kingdoms. This is good news 
to all who wish well to the cause of religion, without 
regard to sects, parties, and opinions, and may con- 
vince us that the Gospel of Jesus wants nothing but 
fair play ; and that human establishments, and 
wo.lJly emoluments, are not essentially necessary 
for its propagation and support. The Puritans were 
frowned on by the government from the time of the 
Reformation to the days of Charles I., and yet they 
increased to such a height as to overturn both church ! 
and state. The Dissenters have been, in some res- 
pects, frowned on again from the Restoration to the 
present time ; yet they and the Methodists, who are 
in the same predicament, are much more upon the 
increase* than we of the Establishment, who are 
fostered by the government, attended by the nobles 
and gentry of the land, and supported by the state 
at the expense of near two millions a year. When 

* It is said that the Methodists have increased many thou- 
sands of late years. This brings to my mind an anecdote 
that is related of the late Rev. George "VVhitfield, in the 
reign of King George II., which is, that when acertain bishop 
was complaining to the king of Mr. Whitfield's great and 
eccentric labours, and advising with him what steps were 
best to be taken to put a stop to his preaching, his majesty 
very shrewdly replied — " My Lord, I can see no other way 
but for us to make a bishop of him." If this be a recipe for 
curing a clergyman of an excess of public preaching, the 
following prescription, given by a valuable author about forty 
years ago, would have no little effect in preventing the 
growth and increase of Methodism : — " Let the clergy live 
more holy, pray more fervently, preach more heavenly, and 
labour more diligently, than the Methodist ministers appear 
to do, then will Christians flock to the churches to hear us, 
as they bow fioek to the meetings to hear them." x 



APPENDIX I. 



425 



shall it once be, that the Great Ones of the world 
will be capable of seeing, that oppression of every 
kind and degree, for conscience sake, always produ- 
ces an effect directly contrary to the wishes and in- 
tentions of the oppressor ? 

The villages in England a.lone, besides cities and 
market-towns, are about 30,000. All these call upon 
us for every (exertion to evangelize them, and to 
save the peoples' souls alive. A branch off from the 
Methodists has likewise spread far and wide, under 
the direction of the late Mr. Alexander Kilham. At 
present they have about seventeen circuits, twenty 
preachers, and upwards of 5,000 persons in society, 
and are increasing considerably each year. Shall 
we then, we, the eighteen thousand clergymen of the 
Establishinens, who are under such superior obliga- 
tions, many of whom are paid by the state at the rate 
of some hundreds, and others at the rate of some 
thousands a year, shall we be all asleep, sit still and 
pursue no peculiarly vigorous measures, each one in 
our own sphere, or various of us in concert, till de- 
struction come upon us to the uttermost.* Is not 
the time nearly arrived for the subversion of the 
nations? And can any thi: g under heaven prevent 
our sharing in the common fate of Christendom, but 
a speedy and effectual return to evangelical princi- 
ples and practices? Is notour sister kingdom already 
deluged with blood? And is not the alarm of war in 
our own borders? Does not the murderous sword 
draw nearer and nearer every year? And shall we 
clergymen, who above all men in the kingdom are 

* It is related of the Rev. John Carlyon, LL.B. in the 
Gentleman's Magazine for October, 1798, that when his health 
would not permit him to reside upon the valuable living of 
Brad well in Essex, he resolutely gave it up, and would not 
serve it by a curate, though entreated by the bishop so to do. 
There was not, however, in this case, that close trial of con- 
scientious integrity, winch we have known in some others, 
because Carlyon was aperson of considerable private fortune. 



426* 



APPENDIX r. 



devoted to the most assured destruction, be indiffer- I 
ent to circumstances? Let the very laudable con- 
duct of the several zealous bodies of Christians in this 
nation, beforementioned, not excite our rage and; 1 
envy, but rather let it provoke the great body of us, f 
the established clergy, to jealousy and emulation. It* i; 
ever there was a time when it was necessary to wake 
out of sleep, and be alive to the interests of the Gos- 
pel, surely it is now. If our most reverend and right 
reverend the archbishops and bishops are indisposed 
towards a meliorated state of the ecclesiastical part | 
of the constitution, let them at least lay aside their 
affectation of pomp and show, come among their I 
clergy and people, and set us an example of a warm J 
and judicious zeal* in preaching — not merely a refined 1 
morality—but the great and glorious truths of the i 
everlasting Gospel,+ in such a way as we can all 
understand and feel. This would have a strong ten- 
dency to animate and encourage the pious part of the i 
clergy in their minist erial labours for the good of I 
mankind, and to discountenance and overawe the | 
licentious and profane, those dreadful pests of every j 

* See Bishop Gibson on the evil and danger of lukewarm- j 
ness in religion. 

i 

t Consult the Charge of Bishop Horsley, in 1790, on the 
Truths of the Gospel. For the various efforts which have 
long been making, and are at this moment still making, 
for the destruction of all the churches and governments of 
Christendom, see those two very curious and interesting 
works, Robinson's Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the 
Iteligions and Governments of Europe, and BarruePs 
Memoirs of Jacobinism. Bishop, Newton, in his three ad- 
mirable volumes on the Prophecies, which was first pub- 
lished about fifty years ago, hath spoken in terms nearly as 
strong as any of the foregoing, concerning the danger which 
the country is in because of national iniquities.— See Vol, i 
II. p. 2S9. Bishop Horne also hath expressed his fears to- 
the same purport, at the 162nd page of his Sixteen Sermons, 1 
to which two able writers I beg leave to recommend the 
reader. 



APPIiNDIX I. 



427 



neighbourhood, which has the misfortune to be cursed 
with their example.* Such a reformation as this is 
within the power of every bishop upon the bench, 
I whose age and health will admit of exertion ; and no 
one need wait for the concurrence of his brethren. 
I As matters, however, are now managed, a large pro- 
I portion both of our bishops arid clergy, are in a very 
f considerable degree a useless burden upon the public. 
We not only do little or no good, but we do a great 
deal of harm. While we continue dead to the inte- 
rests of religion, subscribe what we do not believe, 
read what we do not approve, and set the pulpit and 
reading-desk at loggerheads one with the other : 
while our doctrines are unevangelical, our spirit 
I lukewarm, our minds secular and worldly, our studies 
| merely literary or philosophical, and our conduct 
, immoral, far better would it be that the nation were 
without us, and all our preferments sequestered to the 
purposes of the state, as they respectively become 
vacant, and the people left to provide at their own 
expense for ministers, as it is among all denominations 
of Dissenters. In this case, ministers in general 
would both be better provided for, the people would 
be belter served, the government would gradually 
obtain considerable sums of money to aid them in 
their efforts to save the country, and all the dumb 
dogs, the useless and immoral part of the clergy, 
would be sent a packing, one to his farm, and another 
to his merchandize. t Can any rational man say, 

* Bishop Burnet speaks on this subject with great con- 
| cern, " I say it with great regret," says he, " I have observed 
the clergy in all places through Iwhich I have travelled, 
Papists, Lutherans, Calvinists, and Dissenters, but of whom 
all our clergy are the moft remiss in their labours in private, 
and the least severe in their lives. Unless a better spirit 
possess the clergy, arguments, and, what is more, laws and 
authority, will not prove strong enough to preserve the 
church." — Own Times, Vol. IV. p. 411, 440. 

t Dr, South very justly somewhere says, if my memory fail 



428 



APfEXDIX I. 



that, this would be a misfortune to the nation? At I - 
least, were I in the prime minister's place, and wanted \ ^ 
to raise money for the salvation of the kingdom, as 
it is well known he must do, I should certainly turn 
my attention to the property of the church. \Yhat. | 
need is there that a bishop should enjoy public money r 
to the amount of — from two to twenty thousand pounds : j 
a year? — and for what? Where is the necessity, too, , 
that a private clergyman should hold a living or ! ( 
livings to the amount of one, two, or three thousand , , 
pounds a year ? I protest my sagacity cannot discern 
either the necessity or propriety of these things.* If 
I might be permitted to speak from my own feelings, 
I can truly say, t I never took more pains in the mi- 
nistry than when I had only sixty pounds a year. 
Sincfc I have been married and had a family, my J 
income from the church has never amounted to a 
hundred and twenty poundsayear. Notwithstanding 
this, I have been, thank God, not only content, but 
happy. I have laboured hard, studied hard, and, i 
probably, have been as useful and well satisfied with ! i 

me not, that " many a man has rim his head against a pulpit 
who would have cut an excellent figure at a plough tail." 

* The ingenius Montesquieu tells us, that " the prosperity 
of religion is different from that of civil government. A 
celebrated author suys, that religion may be well in an 
afflicted state, because affliction is the truth of a Christian. 1 
To which we may add, that the humiliation and dispersion 
of the church, the destruction of her temples, and the per- 
secution of her martyrs, are the distinguishing times of her | 
glory. On the contrary, when she appears triumphant in the j 
eye of the world, she is generally sinking in adversity." — 
JDe la Grand, et la Decad, des Eomains. Agreeably to this, 
Bishop Newton, in his learned Dissertation s on the ProjJhe- 
cies, speaking of Constantine's open profession of Christian- 
ity says, "Though it added much to the temporal prosperity, 
yet it contributed little to the spiritual graces and virtues 
of Christiai s. It enlarged their revenues, and increased j 
their endowments, but proved the fatal means of corrupting 
the doctrine, and relaxing the discipline of the church." — 
Vol. II. p. 164. 



APPENDIX I. 



429 



I my condition as the fattest rector in*all the diocese of 
; Chester. If any person, in the mean time, had be- 
j stowed upon me a living of five hundred or a thousand 
j pounds a year, to be sure I should have been under 
grea" obligation to such a persou, but I very much 
1 question whether I should have been made either a 
j more happy man, or a more useful minister of the 
Gospel.* It is much more likely I should have been 
very seriously injured, should have composed myself 
I to rest, and cried with the rich fool, " Soul, thou hast 
I much goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease, 
eat, drink, and be merry." The clergy with large 
preferments are, generally speaking, the drones of 
society. They neither write any thing to good pur- 
pose, nor do they take any serious pains in their 
! vocation of preaching the Gospel. If they do write, 
I it is usually something foreign to their profession ! 

and if they do sometimes hold forth from the pulpit, 
' it is in such a way as is calculated to do neither much 
good nor much harm. Not being truly in earnest for 
their own salvation, they have but little zeal for, the 
salvation of others. f A reduction of some of our 

* This brings to my recollection a story of one of the popes 
of Rome, who, seeing a large sum of money lying upon his 
table, said to one of the Cardinals, " The church can no 
longer say, Silver and gold have I none" — " No," answer- 
er! the othrr, " nor can the church any longer say, Take 
up thy bed and walk." 

t I add here the account which Dr. Hartley, one of the 
wisest and best of men, a serious member of our church, 
gives of the state of the clergy in the year 1749 : — " I choose 
to speak," says he, "to what falls under the observation of 
all serious attentive persons in the kingdom. The superior 
clergy are in general ambitious and easer in the pursuit 
of riches ; flatterers of the great, and subservient to party 
interest; negligent of their own particular charges, and i\\so 
of the inferior clergy, and their immediate charges. The 
inferior clergy imitate their superiors, and, in geneial, take 
little more care of their parishes than barely what is neces- 
surv to avoid the censure of the law. And the clergy, of all 
ranks, are, in general, either ignorant, or, if they do apply, 



APPENDIX I. 



church livings, an increase of others, with a prohibi- 
tion of pluralities, where they are ahove a certain 
value, would have some good effect, hut, in ray opinion, 
a better thing for the real interests of religion would 
be to grant the use of our churches to the people in 
the several districts of the country, to sequester all 
the emoluments to the use of the state, after the death 
of the present incumbents, and to leave the people to 
provide and pay their own ministers. This would, 
make us look about us. But can any man suppose 
that the Gospel of Christ itself would be a sufferer by 
such a measure ? 

it is rather to profane learning, to philosophical or political 
matters, than to the study of the Scriptures, of the oriental 
languages, of the Fathers, and ecclesiastical authors, and of 
the writings of devout men in different ages of the church. 
I say this is in general the case; that is, far the greater 
part of the clergy, of all ranks in this kingdom, are of this 
kind." — Observations on Man, Vol. II. p. 450. Notwith- 
standing what I have observed ahove, and what is here ad- 
vanced by this learned man, we have had, in the present 
age, a few noble exceptions to the general rule. 



APPENDIX II. 



After what lias been said in the foregoing papers? 
I do not see how I can, either in honour or conscience, 
continue to officiate any longer as a minister of 
the Gospel in the Establishment of my native coun- 
try. It appears to me, in my coolest and most con- 
siderate moments, to be, with all its excellencies, a 
main branch of the anti-christian system. It, is a 
strange ^mixture, as hath been already observed, of 
what is secular and what is spiritual. And I strongly 
suspect, the day is at no very great distance when 
the whole fabric shall tumble into ruins, and the 
pure and immortal religion of the Son of God rise 
more bright, lovely, and glorious from its subver- 
sion.* The several warnings of the Sacred Oracles 
seem to be of vast importance, and necessary to be 
observed : " Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and 
deliver every man his soul ; be not cut off in her 
iniquity, for this is the day of the Lord's vengeance ; 
he will render unto her a recompence." — Jer. li. (i . 
We would have healed Babylon, but she is not 6 ' healed ; 

* In this happy country we seem to have many and 
strong symptoms of political decay ; for 

" States thrive or wither as moons wax and wane, 
Ev'n as God's will and God's decree ordain ; 
While honour, virtue, piety, bear away, 
They flourish ; and, as these decline, decay." 

Crncper's Expostulation , 



432 



APPENDIX IT. 



forsake her, and let us go every one unto his L 
own country." — Ibid. li. 9. when ye shall see the , 
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel, the f 
prophet, stand in the holy place, " then let them : 
which be in Judea flee to the mountains."— Matt, 
xxiv. 15. 16. These are only remotely applicable to ?■ 
the business in hand. The following is more directly 
so : — " I heard a voice from heaven, saying, Come f 
out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of , 
her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." — jj 
Rev. xviii. 4. w 
In obedience to these injunctions, and under a -. 
strong disapprobation of the several anti-christian E 
circumstances of our own established chnrch,* the (j 
general doctrine of which I very much approve and jj 
admire, I now therefore withdraw, and renounce a L 
situation which in some respects has been extremely $ 
eligible. I cast myself again upon the bosom of a y 
gracious Providence, which has provided for me all L 
my life long. Hitherto, I must say, the Lord hath I, 
helped me. I have never wanted any manner of L 
thing which has been necessary to my comfort. And L 

* Thomas Paine observes, that "all national institutions ' 
of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear ll 
to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify J 
and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit." jj 
The Jewish institution, at least, ought to have been excep- 
ted in this censure. It was unquestionably divine, and was L 
appointed for the most important purposes, and attended 
with the most indisputable evidence. Another author, l [ 
much more capable of judging than Mr. Paine, hath said, |) 
in perfect conformity with my own opinion, that " National \ 
churches are that hay and stubble which might be removed h 
without difficulty or confusion from the fabric of religion, , 
by the gentle hand of reformation, but which the infatua- , 
tion of ecclesiastics will leave to be destroyed by fire. 1 Cor. [ 
iii. 12, IS. National churches are that incrustation which f ! 
has enveloped, by gradual concretion, the diamond of Chris- 1' 
tianily, nor can, I fear, the genuine lustre be restored, butfi 
by such violent efforts as The separation of substances sol; 
long aud closely connected must inevitably require." 



I 



APPENDIX II. 438 

though I neither know what to do, nor whither to 
go, yet 

" The world is all before me, where to choose 
My place of rest, and Providence my guide," 

This extraordinary step the sacred dictates of con- 
science compel me to take. I am truly sorry for it. 
To me few trials were ever equal. I have loved the 
people among whom I have so long lived and la- 
boured. And I have every reason to be satisfied 
with their conduct towards me. Neither hath the 
great Head of the church left us without seals to our 
ministry. The appearance of fruit, at times, has 
been large. And there are some, no doubt, among 
the people of our charge, who will be our joy and 
crown in the great day of the Redeemer's coming. 
My friends must consider me as called away by an 
imperious Providence : and I trust they will be pro- 
vided with a successor more than equal in every 
respect to their late affectionate pastor. I think it 
necessary to say in this place, that the doctrines 
which I have preached unto them for six-and-twenty 
years I still consider as the truths of God. I have 
lived in them myself, and found comfort from them. 
I have faithfully made them known to others, as 
thousands can bear me witness : we have seen them 
effectual to the pulling down the strong holds of sin 
and Satan, in a variety of cases ; and I hope to die 
in the same faith, and to find them the " power of 
God unto the salvation" of my own soul in eternal 
glory by Christ Jesus. I mean to preach the same 
doctrines, the Lord being my helper, during the 
whole remainder of my life, wheresoever my lot may 
be cast. I am not weary of the work of the sacred 
ministry- L have, indeed, often been weary in it, 
but never of it. I pray God my spiritual vigour, 
life, and power, and love, and usefulness, "may 
abound more and more to the end of my Christian 
warfare. 

2 E 



APPENDIX IT 



" Awake, my dormant zeal! for ever flpme 
With geu'rous ardour for immortal souls; , , tt 

And may my head, my tongue, my heart, my all, 
Spend and be spent in service so divine." 

ec But if you had so many objections to the Esta-e srt 
blished Church, why did you enter into it? — Yvhyi nit 
did you continue to officiate so long- in it? — And) kai 
why did you not decline it long: ago Vf 1 

I will tell you honestly. — All my habits, and the? 101 
prejudices of my education, ran in favour of ther ri 
church. My father and friends are in the same ha-t si 
bits. During my younger days, I took for granted.: ft 
that every thing was right, nor had I any suspicions! lie 
to the contrary. If I had so seriously considered? W 
these things thirty years ago, I humbly hope! io 
I should have acted agreeably to my convictions. Ik ria 
recollect, indeed, about that time, to have had my; (m 
fears that some things among us were not as they) let 
should be. I saw with my own eyes, that almost* b 
all the clergy, with whom I was acquainted, were* tta 
practically wrong at least. Between them and th& iitj 
precepts of the Gospel there seemed a perfect con-i fi 
trast. My mind, however, was then but little in*! Po 
formed upon religious subjects. I was distrustful be 
of my own judgment, and thought it prudent to be & 
guided by the judgment of those, of whose piety Iji k 
had a good opinion. Few young persons think; : 
deeply and solidly, and fewer still have reading and h 
experience sufficient to enable them to form an ac^ ,v 
curate estimate upon such intricate questions. In-ji (\ 
deed, most men, in the earlier stages of life, are ledy fcj 
as I was, by the prejudices of education, and the 
example of those with whom they converse. There 
is, moreover, so much that is excellent in the Arti- * 
cles, Homilies, and common Forms, of our church,; « 
that it cannot be a matter of wonder if unenlight-j; ? 
ened and inexperienced young men, who are either fc 
careless about all religion, or whose desires aregood y 
and intentions simple, should comply with what they 



'I 



APPENDIX II. 



\ hear spoken of in terms of high approbation, and 
see practised every day by their superiors both in 
I a»e, rank, and learning. The idea, too, that we have 
|j left the church of Rome because of her delusion, and 
1 are members of a reformed and Protestant commu- 
! nity, has no little weight with the larger part of 
i| candidates for the sacred ministry. 

I am well aware, that many of the most serious 
, and useful of my clerical brethren are of an opinion 
I very different from me respecting the established 
d religion of this country. It is not long since a cler- 
j gyman of this description told me, in a manner ex- 
i tremely emphatical, that our church is all pure and 
i without spot.* I was surprised at such an asser- 
i tion from a conscientious man, but I have no mate- 
|| rial objection to any person's enjoying his own sen- 
fi timents in peace. I claim the same liberty, and 
desire nothing further. Earnestly wishing success 
f to the ministerial labours of every good man, whe- 
j ther-in the establishment or out of it, and without 
! either condemning or approving one denomination 
i or other, I obey the painful dictates of my own mind. 
1 Possibly I am mistaken. If I am, it is to be la- 
i mented, because I prefer my present situation to 
most others I know of in England. If I had been 
disposed to leave it, I have not been without oppor- 
: tunity. Twenty years ago, the late John Thornton, 
Esq., of Clapham, near London, voluntarily offered 
to procure me a better preferment, if I would accept 
| of it ; but I told him, after expressing my gratitude, 
1 that Divine Providence seemed to have placed me 
! where I was, and I could not think of quitting my 

* This brings to my mind a remark which Mr. Whiston 
used frequently to make upon the very learned and excel- 
lent Bishop Gibson, "That he seemed to think the Church 
of England, as it just then happened to be, esfablished by 
modern laws and customs, came down from heaven with the 
Athanasian creed in its hand." 




2 E 2 



Biog. Diet. Article, " Gibson." 



430 



APPENDIX II. 



station merely for the sake of a better living ; till tbe f 
time should come when the same Providence should' 
call me away. That time seems to be now come; f 
since I cannot any longer keep my church and re- 1 ! 
tain my honour, in obeying the dictates of con- 
science. In my opinion, this is a providential call 
to quit my station, though I never expect to be so' 
happily circumstanced again. I know well what 

Eain such a determination will give my dear people :' 
ut with all due regard to the feelings of my friends, 
I must consider that I am amenable, in the first, 
place, to the great Head of the Church for my con- 
duct; and must, on the highest considerations, en- : 
deavour to conduct myself agreeably to his pleasure. 
After a thousand defects both in my public minis-! 
trations and private conduct, I can almost say, I' 
have done my best to promote as well the temporal ! 
as spiritual interests of the town of Macclesfield; i 
and I heartily wish my successor may be more ac- 1 
ceptable, more heavenly minded, more laborious,! 
more useful, and more successful, in winning souls 
to Christ. 

To all this I am aware it will be objected, that I ! 
am taking a very disreputable step, and that a vast 
majority of the "men of sense and learning around 
me are of a different opinion. 

Very true. I admit every thing which can be said ■ 
on this score in the utmost latitude. But a passage 
or two of our Saviour's discourses is a sufficient sup- 
port against all obloquy of this nature. These mo- 
nopolizers of sense and learning must answer for' 
themselves, and I must give an account unto God \ 
for my own conduct. I consider myself as a shadow 
that passeth away. I feel the infirmities of nature 
coming on, and death stands ready at the door to 
summon me before the bar of my Redeemer. It is 
therefore of consequence that we act now as we shall ■ 
wish we had acted then. At that trial, no man can I 
be responsible for his brother: " every one that hath 1 



I 



APPENDIX II. 



437 



j forsaken houses or brethren, or bisters, or father, or 
I mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake 
I! and the Gospel's, shall receive an hundred fold now, 
I with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal 
I life."— Matt. xix. 29 ; Mark x. 29, 30. 
f : " Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my 
j words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of 
hirn also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he 
shall come in the glory of his Father, with the holy 
angels."— Mark viii. 38. 

" Why are you so squeamish in little matters ? 
. Why not make yourself easy, and conduct yourself 
, like the rest of your clerical* brethren ?" 

To tell you the truth, candid reader, whosoever 
you may be, I have long and earnestly endeavoured 
I to quiet my conscience, and to reconcile it to my 
! present situation. I have used every method in my 
power for this purpose. I have pleaded the exam- 
ple of others, great men, good men, useful men : I 
have soothed it; I have desisted from reading, 
thinking, examining ; I have pleaded the wishes of 
my friends, the usefulness of my ministerial labours ; 
the disagreeableness of changing my situation, and 
forming new connexions ; the extreme inconvenience 
of giving up my present income, &c. &c; but after 
all I can do, conscience follows me from place to 
place, and thunders in my ear, U W 7 hat is a man 
profited if he shall gain thewhole world and lose his 
own soul? — or what shall a man give in exchange for 
his soul ? — He that loveth father or mother more than 
me, is not worthy of me ; and he that loveth son or 
daughter more than me, is not worthy of me ; and he 
that taketh not his cross and followeth after me, is 
not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall loseit, 
and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." 

How would you conduct yourself in such a case ? 
According to the thirty-sixth canon, we are willingly 
and ex animo to subscribe, that the Book of Common 
Prayer, and of ordering of bishops, priests, and dea- 



433 



APPENDIX II. 



1 



cons, containeth in it nothing contrary to the Scrip- \ ;3 ' 
tares; and that we acknowledge all and every thai I) 
thirty-nine Articles besides the Ratification, to bg| li 
agreeable to the word of God.* 

God of my fathers ! what a requirement is this ? t 
Can I lift up my hand to heaven and swear by Him 
" that liveth for ever and ever," that I do willingly 1 !0 
and ex ctnimo subscribe as is legally required? Aud & 
can any manliving thus subscribe, who has thoroughly M 
considered the subject? We must shuffle and pre- ' & 

I 

* As to Mr. Paley's scheme of subscribing the thirty- 
nine Articles as articles of peace, it is all sophistry, and j 
such as an honest man should be ashamed to avow. I ad- 
mire the abilities of tSie man, but detest his recommending | 
prevarication to the clergy. See his very able and popular 
work entitled, Moral and Political Philosophy, b. 3, p. 1, 1 
chap. 22, p. 180, edit. 1. Mr. Paley is very justly repre- 
hended by the excellent Mr. Gisborne. " The opinion 
which Mr. Paley maintains," says he, " appears to me not 
only unsupportable by argument, but likely to be produc- i 
tive of consequences highly pernicious. — That subscription j 
may be justified without any actual belief of each of the \ 
Articles, as I understand Mr. Paley to intimate, is a gratu- ' 
itous assumption. On this point let the Articles speak for 
themselves. Why is an Article retained in its place, if it 
be not meant to be believed ? If one may be signed with- 
out being believed, why not all ? By what criterion are we 1 
to distinguish those which may be subscribed by a person j 
who thinks them false, from those which may not? Is not I 
the present mode of subscription virtually the same as if | 
each Article were separately offered to the subscriber? And 
in that case could any man be justified in subscribing one ! 
which he disbelieved ?" " No circumstance," he adds, j 
" could have a more direct tendency to ensnare the con- 
sciences of the clergy ; no circumstance could afford the j 
enemies of the established church a more advantageous oc- 
casion of charging her ministers with insincerity, than the 
admission of the opinion, that the Articles may safely be 
subscribed without a conviction of their truth, taken seve- i 
rally as well as collectively. That opinion I have seen J 
maintained in publications of inferior note, but I could not, I 
without particular surprise and concern, behold it avowed 
by a writer of such authority as Mr. ? ; \Iey." 



APPENDIX IT. 



varieate in some things, say and do what we will. I 
myself strongly approve the general strain of the 
doctrine of the church ; but then here is no choice. 
It must he willingly and ex aninio all and every 
thing! There is no medium. 

And can I, among other things which are to be 
subscribed, believe from my soul, before the Searcher 
of hearts, who require th truth in the inward parts, 
and in the face of the whole Christian world, declare, 
that " whosoever doth not hold the Catholic faith," 
as explained in the Athanasian Creed — " and keep it 
whole and undefiled, shall, without doubt, perish 
everlastingly?" This hellish proposition we are en- 
joined not only to believe ourselves, but to affirm 
that we do willingly and ex animo subscribe to it, as 
being agreeable to the word of God ; and then we 
must openly profess our faith in it fourteen times every 
year. I am not unacquainted that various manoeu- 
vres are made use of to render these harsh expressions 
palatable; but all illustrations and modifications of 
these damnatory sentences appear to me illusive. 
Bishop Burnet has said all that can be said upon them, 
but, in my opinion, to very little purpose. Honestly, 
therefore, did Archbishop Tillotson declare to him — 
" The account given of Athanasius's creed seems to 
me in no wise satisfactory. I w^sh we were all rid of 
it." — And so do I too, for the credit of our common 
Christianity. It has been a mill-stone about the neck 
of many thousands of worthy men. To be sure, de- 
clarations like these ascended out of the bottomless 
pit to disgrace the subscribing clergy, to render 
ridiculous the doctrines of the Gospel, to impel the 
world into infidelity, and to damn the souls of those, 
who, for the sake of filthy lucre, set their hands to 
what they do not honestly believe. The truth is, 
though 1 do believe the doctrine of the Trinity, as 
revealed in the Scriptures, yet I am not prepared, 
openly and explicitly, to send to the devil, under my 
solemn subscription, every one who cannot embrace 



440 



APPENDIX II. 



the Athanasian illustration of it. In this thing the. 
Lord pardon his servant for subscribing in time past. 
Assuredly I will do so no more. Those who can do 
it are extremely welcome to the best bishoprics and 
livings in the kingdom. I should like to retain what 
I have already gotten, but not upon the conditions re- 
quired. As an honest man, and a man under expec- 
tation of salvation, I must renounce my present 
situation, and the little emoluments which arise 
therefrom. There is no other alternative.* 

" But you are acting a part extremely imprudent, 
on?account of your family." 

True ; but then I am obeying the dictates of con- 
science, and, of course, the commands of God. And 
you know where it is written—" By faith Abraham, i 
when he was called to go out into a place which he 
should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed ; and 
he went out, not knowing whither he went. " By faith 
he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange 
country, dwellingin tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, | 
the heirs with him of the same promise; for he look- 
ed for a city which hath foundations, whose builder 
and maker is God. 

f* By faith Moses, when he was come to years, re- 
fused to be called the'son of Pharaoh's daughter, 
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of 
God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season ; 
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than 

* I have for some years made myself tolerably easy under 
the damnatory clauses of the Athanasian creed, by omitting 
to read them at the times appointed, But, to an upright 
mind, this is not perfectly satisfactory; because we solemnly 
declare and subscribe our names before the bishop that we 
will conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as 
by law established. Now every time we omit to read the 
said creed, or any other part of the service of the church," 
when appointed by law to be read, we are guilty of a breach 
of engagement. So that, whether we read the creed in 
question, or negtect to read it, we are culpable, if we do not 
e:r unirno approve of it. 



APPENDIX II. 



441 



! the treasures in Egypt ; for he bad respect unto the 
i recompense of reward/'* 

t " You are already in the church, and have got over 
the business of subscription. You may continue, 
therefore, in your present station without being called 
upon to repeat the same painful ceremony ." 

I have many years been determined never to sub- 
scribe again, agreeably to the requirement of the ;36th 
Canon, whatever offers of preferment might be made 

1 me. But when I reflect seriously and closely upon 

! the subject, this does not satisfy me. I cannot help 
considering my holding a church, and complying 
with all i s rites and ceremonies, as a silent acquies- 

1 cence in, and a tacit approbation of, all the unevan- 
gelical traits of the church of England, as by law 

I established. While such is my situation, I certainly 

i| constitute a part of the grand system of the anti- 
christian apostacy, which, as I understand the pro- 

; phetic Scriptures, is, in due time, to undergo a total 
subversion. 

" You are quitting a situation of uncommon use- 
fulness." 

Granted : with my views, however, I cannot ho- 
nourably and safely do otherwise. I believe, and fear, 
and tremble, at the word of the Most High. Besides, 

* I do not recollect reading or hearing of any instance 
so like unto this of Moses, as that of the Marquis of Vico, 
in Italy, who died A. D. 1592, at the age of 74. When he 

i was come to years, and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, he 
refused to be called the son and heir to a marquis, a cup- 
bearer to an emperor, nephew to a pope, and chose rather 
to suffer affliction, persecution, banishment, loss of lands, 
livings, wife, children, honours, and preferments, than to 
enjoy the sinful pleasures of Italy for a season : esteeming 

i the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the honours 
of the most brilliant connections, and all the enjoyments of 
the most ample fortune, for he had respect unto the recom- 
pence of reward. See his life at large, written by Mr, Sa- 
muel Clark, which is extremely well worth the attention of 
every man, who is ia any respect a sufferer for the sake of a 
good conscience. , 



442 



APPENDIX II. 



God can do as well without my labours as with them, i 
And if he should think proper by this step to cast me ' 
quite aside, as a broken vessel no longer of use, I will | 
endeavour to acquiesce in the divine determination. 

" God doth not need 
Either man's work or his own gifis ; who best 
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best : his state 
Is kingly ; thousands at his bidding speed, 
And post o'er land and ocean without rest; 
They also serve, who only stand and wait." 
If the Church of England retains much of the spirit 
and of the superstitions of the Church of Rome,* 
what is a conscientious man to do, and how is he to 
act, under such a persuasion ? Let any person weigh : 
thoroughly the meaning of the following declarations, ■ 
and then let him say in what manner I ought to act: , 
— " And the third angel followed them, saying, with 1 
a loud voice, If any man worship the beast, and his 
image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his 
hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath j 
of God, which is poured out without mixture into the ; 
cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with \ 
fire and brimstone in the presence of his holy angels, , 
and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of 
their torments ascended up for ever and ever ; and 
they have no rest day nor night, who worship the 
beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the 
mark of his name."f — Rev. xiv. 9 — 11. 

* The late Lord Chatham, in a celebrated speech which 
he made in the House of Lords in favour of the Dissenters, 
said, "We have a Popish liturgy, a Calvinistic creed, and 
an Arminian clergy." 

t Dr. Doddridge observes, on this paragraph of Scripture 
— "When I seriously reflect on this text, and how directly 
the force of it lies against those, who, contrary to the light 
of their consciences, continue in the communion of the 
Church of Rome, for secular advantages, or to avoid the 
terror of persecution, it almost makes me tremble, and I 
heartily wish that all others who connive at these things in 
the discipline and worship of Protestant churches, which 
they in their consciences think to be sinful remains of Po-. 



APPENDIX II. 



Are not these words enough to make the hair 
" stand on end, like quills upon the fretful porcu- 
1 pine?" We all read them, and have read them many 
|| times for many years, and yet, from our general 
i| conduct, it would' seem that no such passage might 
1 be found in the Sacred Writings. We Protestants 
j are almost universally of an opinion, that they apply 
'} directly to the members of the Church of Rome. The 
I members of that church read them as well as we 
I Protestants, and yet we hardly ever hear of a. Catho- 
i lie becoming a Protestant, any more than of a Jew 
becoming a Christian. "They have eves, and see 
not ; ears, and hear not; hearts, and understand not. ,, 
The Lord, in judgment, "hath sent strong delusion 
that they should believe a lie." The words are ex- 
j tremely plain, and inexpressibly alarming; but the 
force of them is always evaded, by applying them to 
j any thing, rather than to their own church. We 
Protestants, too, read them, and make ourselves easy 
under the awful denunciation, by applying them ex- 
clusively to the Church of Rome,never dreaming that 
they are, at least, in a second sense, equally applicable, 
not only to the English, but to every church esta- 
blishment in Christendom, which retains any of the 
marks of the beast. To me this admits of no doubt. 
If I am mistaken, it is my very great misfortune. 
My judgment has not been biassed by interest, by 
connexions, by inclinations, or by any human consi- 
derations whatever, I have thought much upon the 
subject : read on both sides of the question whatever 
has fallen in my way • conversed with various persons 
for the sake of information ; suffered the matter to 
rest upon my mind for some years undetermined * 

pisli supers 1 i'ion and corruption, would seriously attend to 
this passage, which is one of the nrnst dreadful in the whole 
book of God, and weigh i's awful contents, that they may 
keep at the greatest possible dis'ance from this horrible 
cwte, which is sufficient to make the ears of every one that 
hears it to 1 ingle," 



APPENDIX II. 



have never made my fears, suspicions, and dissatis- i 
faction known to any man; and now, when I bring 
near to myself the thought of quitting one of the most 
commodious churches in the kingdom, erected on pur- 
pose for my own ministrations ; leaving interred by 
it many a precious deposit, who will, I trust, be " my 
joy and my crown" in the great day of the Lord Jesus, 
besides a mother, a wife, two children, and a sister ; 
and giving up various kind friends, whom " I love as 
my own soul," together with a large body of people, 
that, "if it were possible, would have plucked out 
their own eyes, and have given them to me." What 
shall I say ? All that is affectionate within me re- 
coils. I am torn with conflicting passions, and am 
ready to say with the apostle, " I could wish that 
myself were accursed from Christ for my friends and 
brethren," whom I love in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 

But then, various passages of Scripture — (ill under- 
stood, some will say) — urge me, on the most momen- 
tous considerations*, to renounce a situation which I 
cannot any longer retain with peace of mind. Per- 
haps it is my own fault ; certainly it is my very heavy 
misfortune. I bewail it exceedingly. I have received 
no affront ; conceived no disgust; formed no plans; 
made no connexions ; consulted no friends ; experi- 
enced no weariness of the ministerial office ; the ways 
of religion are still pleasant; I have been glad when 
duty called me to the house of God : his word hath 
been delightful ; the pulpithas beenawfully pleasing ; 
the table of the Lord hath been the joy of my heart; 
and now that Providence callethme away , with s>me 
degree of reluctance it is that I say, Lord, here I am. 
Do with me what seemeth thee good. Let me stay 
where I am. I gladly stay. Send me where thou 
wilt. I will endeavour to submit. Only go with me, 
and thy pleasure shall be mine. 

u I uvpe not 

Against heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot 
Of heart or h*>pu ; but still hour bp and s eer 
Right unw*m.' , 



ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA. 



I Gray is spoken of in the 104th page as a believer 
and on the 890th page as a Deist. His character 
seems to have been ambiguous. He was an ingenious 
but whimsical man, yet a poet of no ordinary rank. 
The Methodists are mentioned in several parts of 

S the foregoing pages, particularly on page 114 there 

) is a general account of the state of these societies. 
I add here, Aikins, in his " Tour through North 
Wales," page 148, has paid that body of people a 
very high compliment. Nor has Mr. Paley done 
less in his " Evidence," vol. i. page 39, where he 
says — " After men became Christians, much of their 
time was spent in prayer and devotion, in religious 
meetings, in celebrating the encharist, in conferences, 
in exhortations, in preaching, in an aftectinate inter- 

, course with one another, and correspondence with 
other societies. Perhaps their mode of life, in its 
form and habit, was not very unlike the Unitas Fra- 
trum, or of modem Methodists." 

Mr. Cecil, in his pleasing " Memoirs of the Ho- 
nourable and Reverend W. B. Cadogan," pp. '29—30, 
has given a pretty fair account of this body of people, 
which is every where spoken against, and has ho- 
nestly and ably defended them from the obloquy which 
is usually cast upon all seriously religious characters 
by the world. The single circumstance of their being 
generally, I must almost say universally, reviled ancl 
abused by all other denominations of professing 
Christians, is to me a certain sign, that there is 



444 



ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA. 



something peculiarly good and excellent among 1 ■ 
tlieni. The c.iterion whereby to judge, which our 
Savour has given us, is, " If ye were of the world, 
the world would love its own {hut because ye are uot V 
of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, tl 
therefore the world hate you." — John xv, 19. 

It is said in page 200, that " the very last im- i 
provemeat which took place in our ecclesiastical ! 
frame of things, was in the reign of James I." 

This is not, strictly speaking, true. There was '" 
some few useful alterations and additions made in 
our public forms of worship during the reign of r - 
Charles II. which should have been noticed in the 
place, but which were overlooked there. 

On the 206th page it is said, " Every young man, 
without exception," subscribes, when he becomes a ; 
member of either of our English Universities, he be- !! 
lieves from his soul ex animo, that every tiling con- - 
tained in the Articles, Homilies, Common Prayer, 
and offices of Ordination, is agreeable to the word of ' v 
God." 

This assertion, too, is not accurate. Some altera- e 
tions took place in this respect at Cambridge up- 
wards of twenty years ago. But in Oxford, subscrip- 
tion continues as it was, I believe, to this day. Every 
person there, who has attained the age of twelve years, 
subscribers to the Articles of Faith and Religion 
when he is matriculated. 

Page 210.— " Spiritual courts,"— add the words of 
Bishop Burnet, who was well acquainted with these 
matters. And be it remembered, that every bishop 
in England and Ireland has a court of this descrip- 
tion ; and that less true religion prevails in any 
diocese, the greater and more frequent are the abuses 
of these courts. The bishop's words are :— " As for 
the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, it has been the burden 
of my life to see how it was administered ; our courts 
are managed under the rules of the Canon Law, dila- 
tory and expensive ; and as their constitution is bad, 



ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA. 447 

I so the business in them is small : and therefore possi- 
j! ble contrivances are used to make the most of those 
] causes that come before them ; so that they are uni- 
j verSally dreaded and hated." — Conclusion of the 
jj History of his Own Times. 

I; Before the reader too severely condemns the author 
I of this f Plea for Religion," because of his leaving 
' the church, and the various reflections he has made 
jj upon the bishops and clergy, he requests that this 
work of the good bishops namely, the " Conclusion 
of the History of his Own Times," maybe thoroughly 
read and considered. The bishops and clergy of the 
land should be extremely familiar both with that and 
his admirable little book on the " Pastoral Care." 
" It is high time to awake out of sleep." 

The number of persons who declined officiating in 
the church of England, upon the conditions required, 
in the 17th century, was upwards of two thousand. 
Milton was brought up and sent to the university 
with a view to the church; but when he carne seri- 
ously to consider the conditions upon which he must 
enter, he declined the Sacred office. " To the church," 
says he," by the intentions of my parents and friends, 
I was destined from a child, and in my own resolu- 
tions, till coming to some maturity of years, and per- 
ceiving what tyranny had invaded the church, that 
he who would take orders must subscribe, slave, 
and take an oath withal; which, unless he took with 
a conscience that would retch, he must either perjure, 
or split his faith ; I thought it better to prefer a 
blameless silence before the sacred office of speaking, 
bought and begun with servitude and forswearing." 

There have been some respectable persons in our 
day, who have declined entering into the church of 
England, from objections entertained to our oaths 
and subscriptions; others have complied with all our 
forms and ceremonies, but have been obliged to 
strain and shuffle, and have never known what peace 
of mind and good conscience afterwards meant : and 



448 ADDENDA ET CORREOIO. 

several others have been so pressed and wounded in 1 
their minds, that they have given up their situations, 
after they had been already ordained. The late Mr. 
Archdeacon Blackburne was never properly at rest 
in his spirit ; Dean Tucker gave up several things 
among us as wrong ; Dr. Robertson, Messrs Dyer, 
Evanson and Wakefield, all resigned their letters of 
orders ; or, at least, have ceased to officiate as mi- 
nisters of the establishment. 

There may be other mistakes in point of fact or 
history, which have escaped my observation. If 
such should be discovered by any friendly hand, they 
shall be acknowledged and corrected. 



William Miliar, Printer, Swine-Mark*t, Hulifax. 



AUG 84 1903 



H 156 82 



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